Shades of Gray
by Bennell
Summary: What do you get with two powerful, passionate, powerhouses in the White House? Shades of Gray...
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi Everyone! I've been toying around with this idea for a while and decided to finally put it down on paper. Not sure how long this will turn out to be but it'll be mainly real life scenarios with a bit of fluff and angst thrown in for good measure. I DO NOT own Scandal, any of their characters nor do I secretly live in any of the writers' heads (though I sometimes wish I did). Please review and let me know your thoughts! **_

_**-B**_

Intro…

_The storm had come and seemingly passed as Olivia and Fitz weathered the remaining remnants of what had been the most explosive two years of their professional and political lives respectively. The decision to forge ahead with Olivia's well crafted, albeit incredibly ambitious and risky plan to divorce Mellie and get him elected to a second term and have her become his first lady seemed like something out of a best-selling thriller novel. The stakes were high and with little room for error, everyone at OPA and most especially in the White House was on pins and needles for two years watching it all unfold. _

_There was never a guarantee that this plan would work, hell, there wasn't even one that it would even get off the ground. With Cyrus on a near daily verge of ordering hits on both of them for acting so childishly and threatening to potentially implode the very epicenter of what he'd given up so much to attain, it was damn near impossible to get him onboard but alas, he finally was. Mellie on the other hand, only agreed to go along with the charade (at least that's what it was in her eyes) when she realized that she was in a losing battle. She would never measure up to Olivia in Fitz's eyes. "Mother of his children" be damned, she was not the love of his life. For the 20 years that they had been together that had always been the one undeniable fact. He cared for her but he didn't love her, at least not the way that a husband should love his wife and the mother of his offspring. The burning, passionate, die-for-you love he reserved for one person and one person only – the one she could never stack up against or hold a candle to, at least in his eyes. When that lonely day came and it dawned on her that no amount of lying, scheming, begging or cheating would get him to change his mind, she decided to fold. She folded for her dignity. She folded for self-preservation. She folded for the promise of a future that she realized she could still have if she could only figure out a way to get back to being that ambitious, powerhouse of a woman that Fitz once knew and "fell in love" with. Twenty years after you've sold your soul for someone who never truly wanted it, you realize that you just need to do what's best for you. Why bother continuing to make them a priority when you were only always a far away option? _

_With the storm clearing and the White House seeing happier days in the horizon, no one was more surprised than Fitz himself that this plan had actually worked. Not that he ever doubted that Olivia had come up with one of her most brilliant plans yet but rather, he was surprised that the public, namely his Republican party, had weathered the upheaval as "well" as they had. Sure his approval rating plummeted for a while and his party threatened to raise holy hell on him come the primaries but at the end of the day any backlash that he received over being in love with Olivia only served to boost him up in the eyes of the Democratic party and their constituents because they viewed him as a leader that was willing to take a stand. Take a stand for love and what he believed in, majority party opinion be damned. "The Republican party does NOT own me. I serve the people of this country, not the Republican right or the Democratic left." _

_Two years, a profound discourse on race and class that had raged within the far reaches of this country and to the depths of political parties where no one dared to speak about publicly and here they were. Not completely unscathed but certainly in love, in sync and very much in control of what their narrative was going to be moving forward. The Grants (Fitz and Olivia) were the updated and revived definition of a modern American family and dream. They lived their lives in a way that they wanted to live it, no excuses, no hesitations and no regrets. After enduring so much scrutiny and press there were truly no secrets left between them and honestly, after all that, what __**couldn't **__they tell each other?_

* * *

Walking briskly down the White House corridor dressed impeccably in one of her crème Prada suites and signature Jimmy Choo heels, the clicking of her designer shoes signaled to everyone that Olivia Pope-Grant was up and running on this very early morning.

Quickly running to catch up with her, her assistant Jennifer greeted her with a smile, handed Olivia her daily event itinerary and wasted no time in downloading the very busy woman on what was on her plate for today. "Good morning Mrs. Grant, here's your itinerary and your list of scheduled conference calls for the day."

"As always so on top of it Jen, I appreciate it and good morning by the way" Olivia replied with a quick smile as she rounded a corner in record time. "I'll need you to move the call with the Prime Minister to 3pm so I can squeeze in a lunch meeting with Ms. Hamilton at 1pm. She's been calling incessantly to get time on my calendar and if I don't do it today, it won't happen. Move up the fundraising meeting to 3:30pm and have them meet me in the main residence. I don't expect to speak with the Prime Minister for longer than 20 minutes so that should give me enough time to finish my lunch meeting, jump in my car, take the call on the way and be back here in time to meet with everyone at 3:30pm."

Noticing that Jennifer was furiously jotting down notes as they raced down the White House hallways, Olivia stopped for a beat with a bit of a smirk "You got all that?"

"Of course, consider it handled"

"Love it!" she said over her shoulder as she knocked on Cyrus' door while already having one hand on the doorknob not bothering to wait for official permission to enter.

"WHAT?!"

Walking in with a small smile on her face, she greeted him cheerily as she walked to sit at the edge of his desk, "already in such a great mood today I see"

"Oh don't start with me Liv, not today. NOT today!" he told her as he let out an exasperated breath, clasped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes momentarily.

"What'd he do now?"

"I swear to all that is holy and pure in this world that man will drive me to an early grave!" he bellowed his blood pressure rising and face turning red

Not taking the bait and instead deciding to be the voice of reason, per her usual when it came to his rants about James, she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him "before you go picking out your coffin color, mind telling me what role you played in this latest debacle?"

Standing up and beginning to pace around his office, he loosened his tie as he strode towards the window "he wants a baby. A BABY! What in the hell am I supposed to do with a baby? Change diapers, clean up spit and pretend that I'm Mary friggin Poppins?! Who the hell does he think he married? I am Cyrus Rutherford Beene for fuck's sake, not some cheap, gay knock off from the damn Brady Bunch!"

Following him with her eyes as he continued to pace, it took everything in her to not smile when she realized how incredibly riled up he always became.

"It's a baby Cyrus, not a two-headed alien creature from an unknown planet."

"You know what? Don't talk to me. I can't talk to you if you're going to be reasonable" he told her with a dismissive wave of his hand as he continued to pace around his office.

Just then there was a soft knock on the door before it swung open. Quickly noticing a red faced Cyrus by the window, it didn't take long for Fitz to see Olivia sitting at the edge of his desk, looking at Cyrus with an amused smile on her face. Quickly walking over to her, he leaned in for a quick kiss on the lips "there you are, I've been looking for you everywhere" he told her as he laid a hand on her knee.

"Well, now you found me" she told him with a small smile.

"Who knew this damn house was so freaking big?" he muttered under his breath

"I did" Cyrus and Olivia deadpanned simultaneously causing Fitz to roll his eyes.

"So I take it this is session number 257 of Cyrus handling James" Fitz told him as he strode to sit on the couch and plopped down in quite the unceremonious manner.

"What? No, sir, this is not session 500 of Cyrus handling James" he told him as he turned towards him a bit confused

"Oh no? Then why is my wife in your office at 7:30 in the morning talking you off yet another ledge about being married to your husband?" he asked with the slightest bit of sarcasm.

"Sir, it's early, you're an insomniac so you don't tend to sleep much. You're imagining things."

"Cyrus, I could hear you going ballistic all the way down the hallway" he told him as he raised his eyebrow daring him to dispute the claim.

"Whaaat?" he said with a dismissive wave of his hand towards the President and Olivia as he walked back around to his desk, "that's how I like to start my mornings, a little drama to get the heart pumping, a bit of cursing to get the adrenaline just right and then finally some ridiculousness to remind me that it's not me but the rest of the world that is actually dumb and quite stupid. All in a day's work sir!" he finished with a satisfied smile as he kicked his feet up on his desk being careful to miss Olivia and her crème colored suit.

Slapping his knees as he got up from the couch Fitz simply shook his head "Whatever you say old man but I'm telling you, if you keep this up and give yourself a stroke, I better not get a call from Tom telling me to go get your ass from the hospital" he told him as he pointed a finger in his direction and grabbed Olivia's hand with the other.

Shooing them both out of his office he told them as they exited "don't worry sir, I've got my ailing mother as my emergency contact. She loves me, she'll come get me."

Walking towards the Oval, Fitz dropped Olivia's hand as they left the threshold of Cyrus' office door. Though everyone in the White House knew that they were married and clearly deeply in love, they didn't find it necessary to act like newlyweds 24/7. More than anything, after their marriage had become legal, they simply reverted back to how it had always been with them: Olivia pushes and encourages, Fitz fights back and is stubborn but eventually sees the land of compromise. Opening the door to his office, he walked to his desk and leaned in front of it holding out his hand for his wife.

"C'mere" he said to her with the softest smile she knew he reserved only for her

"Fitz" she said warningly

"What? I promise I'll be good and on my best behavior. I just haven't seen you in a couple days and I miss you" he told her as he was finally able to cajole her into his arms. Unable to ever resist this man, who was now her husband, she wrapped her arms around him and allowed him to breathe her in for a moment as he buried his face in her neck. "Hi, hello, how are you?" he muttered.

Letting out a small chuckle as she ran her fingers through the back of his head and heard his soft moan of pleasure, she replied "Cyrus much?"

"No, Cyrus keeps taking you away from me. I'm about to have a conversation with him"

"You have enough conversations with him, leave him alone" she told him as she leaned back and took his face in her hands as he dropped his to encircle her tiny waist.

"He is not taking me away from you, he's just having a hard time with James and I empathize with him. Lord knows we owe that poor man about a million favors after everything he's done for us over the past 2 years. You have me, you ALWAYS have me" she told him with a wink which cause him to give her his legendary Fitz smile.

"I know, I just like hearing you say it" he said leaning in as he let out a small growl as he neared her lips. Opening her mouth with no hesitation under his gentle probing, they savored each other for a few minutes as she fell comfortably between his legs. As he hands traveled up her back and hers got entangled in his hair, she leaned back and broke off their kiss before things went too far.

"Fitz"

"No" he told her as he tried to lean in again

"Fitzgerald" she said more sternly

"Ouch" he said mockingly wincing at the mention of his full first name. Leaning in to kiss him quickly to let him know she was only half-serious she pulled back and straightened his tie.

"As much as I 'd love for this to be the highlight of my day, I unfortunately have a meeting to run to and then a very busy day ahead of me as do you. We'll pick this up tonight, I promise" she told him as she placed her hands on his chest and pushed back gently breaking the hold he had on her waist.

With a resigned sigh he let her go and walked around to his desk "You're a mean, cruel woman Olivia Pope-Grant!" he mockingly bellowed as she clicked her heels and walked towards the door leaving him shaking his head as he rifled through papers on his desk.

"I love you too" she threw back at him with a wink as the door closed behind her.

* * *

_**Please review and let me know your thoughts. Should I continue? : ) **_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the amazing feedback and comments you all have left, I'm truly humbled. After the S2 finale, I figured we could all use a bit of Olitz goodness. Enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!**

**-B**

_It had been quite the eventful day filled with meetings, conference calls, small fires to put out and incessant rumors to squash. By 11:00pm that evening both halves of the Grant pairing were positively exhausted. Walking over to their bed as she finished rubbing lotion on her arms after her shower, she found Fitz laying down looking towards her with her side of the covers lifted inviting her to join him. _

"Do you have any idea how exhausted I am right now?" she said eyeing him suspiciously

"What're you saying? That me lifting up your side of the covers is an invitation for sex?" he retorted with a gleam in his eyes.

As she crawled into bed under the covers, she gingerly crawled to lie on top of him and gave him a lingering kiss, "with you Grant, anything's possible" she said as she pulled away.

"Well excuse me for pointing out the obvious but aren't you the one that is currently lying on top of me?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow as he ran his hands up her legs underneath the covers

"Semantics" she heard his soft chuckle as she closed the space between them and felt him wrap his arms around her back as she leaned down to kiss him. After several moments they both pulled away and looked at each other simultaneously telling the other "babe, I'm too tired"

With a smile to each other, she rolled off of him and felt him follow her as he spooned her from behind and kissed her shoulder breathing her in.

"Have I ever told you how incredible you smell? Like _all _the time?" he said almost in awe of her

Nodding as she leaned up to turn off the bedside light "all the time honey"

With the room covered in darkness she leaned back to kiss her husband goodnight "night Fitz, try and get some sleep, we have a very long day tomorrow"

Nodding in his sleep he murmured, "Love you"

_Preparations had been underway for weeks for the Prime Minister's visit. After countless meetings with the White House catering staff deciding on appetizers, entrees and dinner plate patterns, Olivia was glad that the day was finally here, if for no other reason than at least she'd be done – for now – engaging in trivial conversations that bored her to tears. As her "Glam Squad", as she affectionately called them, worked on her hair and makeup for the evening, she enjoyed spending some quality girl time with them as they caught her up on the latest celebrity gossip outside of D.C. It wasn't everyday that she got these moments to relax and seemingly forget about everything else going on around her. Being FLOTUS was a 24/7 job as much as she hated to admit it sometimes. The little love bubble that she and Fitz had created prior to them making it official for the entire world to see had been steadily been brought back down to reality over the past 2 years. Not to be confused, she loved being FLOTUS and took her position incredibly serious but these moments with her glam girls (and her alone moments with Fitz) were what she truly lived for. _

_Sitting in the makeup chair in a white satin robe, she laughed heartily at her hairstylist, Cherice's, latest joke. _

"I'm telling you Liv, I have no idea who in the holy hell told her that beehive she was sporting pretending to be a hairstyle was a good idea. It was the Oscars for crying out loud!"

As all four girls, Olivia and her stylists, doubled over laughing, she heard a knock on the door "Come in!"

Jennifer smiled at the ladies in the room as she strode toward Olivia and handed her the finalized program for the evening. "Here you are Mrs. Grant, all changes were made as you and the President instructed so we should be all set to go."

"Perfect, thank you so much Jennifer. Speaking of the President, where _is_ my husband?"

"I believe he's reviewing his remarks for this evening with Mr. Beene in his office and will soon be retreating to get changed for tonight" she finished with a smile. "Will there be anything else?"

Placing an affectionate hand on her arm Olivia told her "We're all set Jennifer, go home, get some rest and enjoy your vacation. Say hello to the family for me"

"Will do Mrs. Grant. Have a wonderful evening ladies" she called as she walked towards the door

A chorus of "goodnight" followed her out as the door closed.

"I like her, she's good" said Tamara as she finished applying Olivia's eye shadow.

"I know, I hired her" Olivia replied with a smirk.

30 minutes later, Olivia's hair and makeup were done to perfection and her dress was a sight to behold. Accentuating her caramel skin tone, the emerald A-line dress with a gold-jeweled accented halter-top was sure to make her the queen of the evening. Giving a twirl in front of the mirror so she could see the full effect, she didn't hear the whispered gasp that came out of his mouth.

"Wow"

Catching her a bit off guard as she hadn't heard him come in, she smiled at him as her glam girls erupted into a slow clap at the sight of the dashing POTUS in his tuxedo.

With a sheepish smile towards them, he gave them a slight wave as he walked towards his wife "hi ladies"

"Hello Mr. President!" Tamara called out before they all began gathering their things to give the couple a few private moments alone.

As they prepared to depart, Olivia thanked and hugged them all "thank you lovelies, I couldn't have done this without you!"

"Sure you could've, but we're glad we could help" Cherice said smiling at her as she walked towards the door. "Goodnight Mr. President" she offered with a smile as she closed the door.

Finally alone, he slowly walked towards her as she stood firmly in place waiting for what she knew was coming with a satisfied smile on her face "you are absolutely breathtaking Livvie" he told her as he began a trail of kisses down her neck.

"You're quite handsome yourself Mr. President"

"Mm, don't call me that, not now, you know what it does to me and we need to be downstairs in 5 minutes" he seductively said to her as he trailed his hands up her arms to cradle her face.

Smiling as he leaned in to kiss her, he gently bit her lip as he pulled back and winked. "Alright let's go. We've got important people to schmooze"

Intertwining their fingers as he led her outside the room and down the stairs, they proceeded with their evening.

_The traditional pomp and circumstance that accompanied White House dinners ensued as the President and First Lady entered to greet their guest of honor and other attendees. With dinner coming to a close and people beginning to congregate around the dance floor, Senator Parks from Alabama extended a hand to Olivia and asked for a dance. _

"Mrs. Grant, may I have this dance?"

As she turned to face him with a smile, she placed her hand in his "Why of course you may, how are you Senator Parks?"

"Doing quite well now that I have the pleasure of dancing with the most stunning woman in the room"

"Oh you're quite too kind, thank you" she told him with a smile as they began to sway to the music

"Now that I've got you as a captive audience, may I ask a question?"

Eyeing him a bit suspiciously as she leaned back to look him straight in the eyes, she cautiously replied "Senator Parks"

"Mrs. Grant, we all know you're the woman behind the man so as one of his closest advisors and wife, I'm wondering if the rumors are true?"

"What rumors would those be Senator?" she asked as her entire demeanor suddenly changed and she straightened her back.

"There are rumblings within the party that Vice President Langston is in the midst of putting together an exploratory committee to ascertain her chances of winning the Republican nomination for president in next year's election"

Raising an eyebrow at him she squared her shoulders, "Was there a question somewhere in there Senator, because I didn't hear one"

"You are too smart for your own good Mrs. Grant" he told her with a bit of a smirk

"It's Pope-Grant Senator and yes, I am brilliant but again I ask, what is your question" she told him as they stopped moving

"Is it true and if so, does this mean that your husband will be endorsing her even though they've had their very public disagreements throughout the course of this administration"

Releasing her hands from his, she clasped them in front of her as she leveled her eyes with his "Senator Parks, if my husband endorses Vice President Langston's presidential run in the coming year it'll be a decision that he'll make on his own. Whether he'll decide to share that information with you or anyone in the party prior to him making it public to the rest of the country is something that you'll need to ask him. I am his _wife,_ not his mouthpiece, so if you have a question for or about my husband Senator, I suggest you take it up with your president directly. Now, if you'll excuse me, there are some people I'd like to mingle with. Have a good evening Senator." With that, she turned on her heel and walked towards the other guests.

_Having witnessed the somewhat tense interaction between Olivia and Senator Parks from across the room, Cyrus grabbed her by the elbow as she was walking past him. _

"Olivia, what was that about?"

"What're you talking about Cy?" she asked turning her head to look at him

"Don't play coy with me Liv, what did Senator Parks want?"

Taking a breath as she considered her next words, she narrowed her eyes at him as she replied, "Let's just say that next year's run for the Republican Party's presidential nomination is going to be an interesting one."

"Did he tell you he's running?" he asked a bit surprised as his ears perked up

Patting him on the cheek as she leaned in she only said, "Have a goodnight Cyrus" and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Everyone! Below is the latest update for _Shades of Gray. _This will probably be the last update for a few days as work will be incredibly busy this week. **

**As a preview, please note that the political opinions expressed in this chapter are for creative purposes ONLY. :) **

**-B **

_The pace at the White House was a never-ending one and Fitz and Olivia had become quite adept at making sure that they found time to be together amid all the hustle and bustle that could so easily take over every waking minute of the day. With the Prime Minister's visit now behind them, they stood in their bedroom casually chatting as they worked to get Fitz ready to leave for the G-8 Summit overseas. _

_They could've easily had a White House staffer pack his belongings for him but the cardinal rule between Fitz and Olivia was that they never outsourced doing the little things that made them truly feel like a couple, one of which was helping him pack before his trips. As he looked through their expansive closets (a new one had been built when Olivia moved in to house her incredible collection of suits, skirts, handbags and shoes) he called out to her as she stood over his opened suitcase that lay on top of their bed. _

"Livvie? Is my blue tie already in there? I can't find it" he called as he looked through his tie rack

"Which one honey, you only have about a million of them" she called back a bit sarcastically but with a smile in her voice

"Funny, listen, can you come in here please? This will be a thousand times easier if you help me look"

Shaking her head as she walked over to where he stood in their closet, she clasped her hands in front of her as she stood next to him, "What do you need help with?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he threw his head back in mock frustration. "Every time Livvie, we go through this every time"

"Well what would you like me to do? You're a grown man, you know how to dress ("very well I might add" she muttered under her breath) so why does this become like a political filibuster every time you're about to leave the country?" she asked as she turned to him. "Babe, just because you're jealous that I constantly end up in best dressed lists around the world, shouldn't hinder you from choosing your wardrobe. If you stop being paralyzed by thinking about it so much you'll realize that men actually have it a million times easier than women. You can wear the same suit over and over, change up the tie and no one will be the wiser. So buck up POTUS and let's do this" she told him with a resolute tone in her voice as she turned back to face the rows of hangers as he licked his lips behind her and smiled.

Looking over her shoulder at her smirking husband she pointed a finger in his direction "And just for the record, this is _not _me handling you. You asked for my help so I'm _helping." _

Wrapping his arms around her waist and leaning over her shoulder to give her a sound kiss on her cheek he whispered to her "baby at this point, you can handle me however you want"

Playfully swatting his hands away, she walked across the closet to where his shoes were neatly placed "unless you want a red faced Cyrus up here screaming at you in about 10 minutes, I suggest we table this for a later time" she told him as she grabbed his shoes, walked over to him, planted a quick kiss on his lips and walked back out to his waiting suitcase.

Shaking his head and smiling as he followed her out, he walked over to where his ties were laid out and began neatly folding them to place inside his luggage.

"So Cyrus tells me that you had quite the interesting conversation with Senator Parks at dinner the other night" he stated matter of factly catching her attention.

"I don't know if it was all that interesting but then again, I felt the need to put him in his place before I walked away if that tells you anything" she said not missing a beat and continuing to pack

Raising an eyebrow, he momentarily stopped what he was doing and looked at her "Pray tell"

"Nothing much _to _tell. He asked for a dance, which I of course agreed to, and then proceeded to ask if I knew whether or not you were endorsing Sally's presidential bid for president next year"

"Why does he care?" he asked as he furrowed his eyebrows

"Because if you endorse Sally it'll be a wasted effort on every other Republicans part whose trying or considering running, to court you for your support"

"So he's running?" he asked her as he walked around the corner of the bed and sat down next to the suitcase she was packing

"He didn't say that in so many words but he's Senator Parks, not the brightest crayon in the box if you ask me so it only took a few seconds for me to figure it out"

Smirking as he looked down for a beat "so what'd you tell him?"

"I told him that the rumors he was alluding to was something that he'd need to take up with you directly since I am your wife, not your mouthpiece and that if and when you're ready to make anything public to anyone, you'll do so on your own time and not a moment sooner" she finished as she threw a small smile his way

"And?"

"And then I walked away like I was in _Gone With The Wind" _she told him with a bit of a chuckle causing him to laugh as well

"So that's what got Cyrus all riled up? Seems minor"

"My point exactly, which is why I'm telling you, don't even worry about it but just be on the lookout for potentially increased ass kissing from your folks if they don't hear something from you one way or another about this endorsement soon"

"Duly noted, thanks wife"

"You're welcome husband" she told him with a smile as she went to stand in between his legs and placed her hands on his shoulders

"Now seriously"

"Uh oh"

"Are you going to endorse Sally Langston as a presidential nominee for the Republican Party?"

Sighing as he leaned in and placed a kiss on her stomach that was right at level with his lips, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes briefly

"I don't know"

"Why?" she pushed

"Besides the fact that she and I are very different in certain ideological respects I'm just not sure that I can whole-heartedly support a candidate who comes across as an alienating force within our party with her hardcore, unyielding family values that leaves little room for the tough discussions that still need to happen within this country. The work that our administration has done over the past 4 years came about through compromise and hard work (even though I was fought every step of the way on some points) and I just worry all of that progress will be thrown down the drain if she becomes POTUS and wields her almighty Bible in everyone's face as she justifies backtracking on everything from immigration reform to government healthcare."

Taking a seat on his lap, she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and planted a kiss on his temple "Fitz, I know I'm your wife and I will support you every step of the way on this, you know that, but I just want you to make sure you're thinking about this from all angles before making a decision."

Burying his face in her neck he nodded for her to continue "Go on"

"Sally Langston might be a Bible thumping, crucifix wearing maniac at times and you both might not have the most harmonious working relationship, but considering who the other probable candidates are coming from your party, I think you need to take a hard look at that. Let's face it, the Republican Party has taken a huge hit over the past several years and its no surprise that political pundits are questioning if you all can muster enough strength to pull together a candidate that's worthy of putting in the VP slot let alone president. Sally has the loyal support of her constituents, she's smart, she's educated, she's ruthless and she's also a woman."

Picking his head up to look directly at her, "so what you're telling me is that given the major and quite epic fails that our party has withstood over the past several years that Sally is our best shot at beginning to redeem ourselves because she's a woman and she, out of the potential candidates in the running, is the one closest to the overall ideals of our party and will therefore garner the attention, sympathy and support of the American people therefore propelling her through an exciting run even if she _doesn't _win" he surmised quickly

"Exactly. And your support of her would prove to your party and the American people that you're willing to put aside the past and endorse someone who you believe will get the Republican Party back on track, no offense, I'm just talking about those in your party that still believe that we're living in 1900 America" she retorted with a raised eyebrow.

"And if I don't want to endorse her in spite of all of that?"

"Then we'll do our research and figure out whose most aligned with where you want to see this country going after you step down. No one ever said you had to endorse _anybody _if you don't want to" she told him with a bit of a gleam in her eye

Reaching a hand to entangle it in her hair, he began trailing kisses along her jaw line "how about I endorse _you_ and have you run this country. Lord knows you'd know how to fix some shit around here. I'd be more than okay being 'First Man' to you Olivia Carolyn Pope-Grant" he finished as he reached her lips

Letting out a soft giggle she pulled away and told him "Now Fitz, you know I'm apolitical"

"No you're not, not when it comes to me" he told her as he lowered them both on to the bed

"Fitz, we're getting your clothes all wrinkled and we need to finish packing!" she admonished playfully as he held her face in his hands and looked at her lovingly

"Sweetheart, I'm sure the hotel I'll be staying at has an iron and an ironing board, I'll be just fine"

"You? You're going to iron?" she asked dubiously not believing him for a moment

"No, but I'm sure I can find somebody who'd be willing to do it for me. I'm the President of the United States for crying out loud, Secret Service jumps through hoops when I want a burger so I'm sure ironing a wrinkled shirt won't cause any national security alarms to go off. Plus, think of all the sexy mental mileage I'll get out of knowing that we made love on top of the shirt I'll be wearing when I'm thousands of miles away from you" he told her with a sexy look in his eyes as she rolled hers

"So now what, shirt trumps phone sex?"

"_Nothing _trumps phone sex, especially when I'm away from you, I'm just saying, it's another thing to add to the list"

"List of what? Kinky fuck nuttery?" she said as she felt him laughing underneath her lips as she trailed her mouth down his neck. Coming back up to look him in the eyes, she told him the words that although she so desperately wanted them to not be so difficult to say, often times still were "I'm going to miss you"

Sighing as he closed his eyes and kissed her lips softly, he knew that for Olivia to feel vulnerable and safe enough to say those words to him had taken years of work on both their parts. For his side, he worked everyday to make sure she knew in her heart (and gut) that he loved, supported and cherished her beyond all reason.

"I'll miss you too"

"Call me?" she asked hesitantly as if she was clinging on the reassurance that he would

"Every chance I get"

_It was going to be a very long 10 days ahead…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi Lovelies! Here is the latest installment of _Shades of Gray. _Thank you all for the comments and feedback. A bit of warning about this chapter. While fluff is good (and we all desperately need it after the day that will live in infamy aka _S2 Finale_) healthy conflict is also necessary to allow characters (and people) to grow. With two dynamic, powerful people, you knew it couldn't be all rainbows and sunshine forever. Let me know your thoughts in your reviews!**

**-B**

_Nine days. It had been nine days since he'd left for the G-8 Summit in Japan and though it wasn't unlike any other overseas trip that he'd previously been on, it still didn't mean she missed him any less while he was away. The days had been long on both their sides and they knew that while he was away, the name of the game was to remain busy to get through the days as quickly as possible while knowing that "All roads always led to Fitz." It was interesting the very different dynamic that Olivia brought to her First Lady role. She wasn't merely the president's wife who planted gardens, went on school visits with children and had news outlets blogging about her clothes. Having been Fitz's Communications Director, she was no stranger to knowing how to toe the line with controversial topics so unlike Mellie, she didn't need the "Keep quiet and to yourself" speech while he was away. _

_Having just finished a 2 hour long meeting finalizing the details of her soon to be opening "OPG Center for Empowered Women" she was beyond drained in every sense of the word. Though she kept up appearances and went about her days as normal, everyone in the White House knew that whenever the President was away, there was just the slightest bit of a spark and pep that was missing from Olivia. Sure she still joked and laughed with White House staffers and never gave any real indication that anything was wrong, but those that knew her well, like Cyrus and her favorite (and most trusted Secret Service agent Tom) could tell that she was missing Fitz. Unfortunately for her, given that this trip was a bit more high stakes than most of his overseas visits, Fitz had taken Tom with him, leaving just Cyrus behind to help get her through the absence. _

_Entering their master suite late that evening, she showered and prepared for bed while she waited, for what she hoped would soon be a call from her husband. Deciding not to wait by the phone like a 12-year old school girl, she instead made herself busy and read through a few of Fitz's upcoming speeches to ensure they were hitting the right mark and tone. Almost finishing her batch of papers that were lying on her lap, she heard the suite telephone ring. _

_Knowing that she always let it ring three times and always picked up on the fourth, she didn't have to hear him say anything before her mood instantly lightened and she breathed a sigh of contentment. _

"Hi"

"Hi"

"Did I wake you?" he asked as he sat back in his leather seat aboard Air Force One and propped his feet up while Tom inconspicuously sat a few feet away from him

"No, I was just reviewing a few of your upcoming speeches. They look good, Jeff did a great job on them"

"Wow, that's high praise coming from you given that you bloody up those speeches with notes the minute you get them" he told her with a smile in his voice

"Yeah well, I think he's finally starting to learn my style so only very minor corrections on these"

Hearing her longing sigh at the end of the line, he softly asked her "How are you?"

"I'm good, I miss you" she replied softly as she put the stack of papers that had been sitting on her lap on the beside table and sunk into her pillows as she made herself comfortable to talk to him

"I know, I miss you too sweetheart. How's Cyrus holding up?" he asked knowing that if Olivia missed him and was doing her level best to hold it together, it probably meant that Cyrus was climbing the walls until his return

"Oh you know Cyrus, he'll start a mini riot just to say he has something to do. He's doing well though. I'm actually quite intrigued by the fact that I think he misses you more than I do when you go away" hearing his soft chuckle made her smile.

"Yeah well, what can I say, I'm pretty damn loveable"

"See, that's not fair!"

"What? What's not fair?" he asked confused

"You can't be all cute like that when I'm not anywhere near you to do anything about it. Speaking of doing things, (she said changing the subject) do you think we could maybe…" she trailed off, knowing that he'd gotten her drift of where she was going with this

With a small groan he briefly closed his eyes and shot a quick look towards Tom who was perusing through the latest magazine of hunting gear

"Baby I wish I could but unfortunately, I can't, Tom's here" he said throwing Tom a small smile when he heard his name mentioned

"Oh c'mon you know Tom knows"

"Yeah, I know he knows but still, I'm trying to be decent here" he weakly retorted as Tom tried unsuccessfully to stifle a smirk

"Mr. President, if you and um, Mrs. Pope-Grant want to –" he started as he began to stand up from his seat

"Oh Tom, sit down. I'm not having phone sex with my wife when I know you'll only be within earshot" he told him good-naturedly

"Are you sure sir, I mean I don't mind. A man has needs, I get it" he told him with a knowing eyebrow raise.

Hearing Olivia's uproarious laughter on the other end of the line made him smile "would you stop? Don't encourage him!"

"This is precisely why I can't have both of you being gone at the same time. I mean Cyrus is fun but he's no Tom. From now on, if you leave, you need to leave Tom here with me"

Covering the speaker part of the phone Fitz looked over at Tom to relay his wife's latest message "From now on you're on OPG detail while I'm away, her orders" he told him shaking his head.

"No problem sir" he told him, successfully hiding the fact that he was secretly excited by this new "rule". It was no surprise that he and Olivia had an incredibly good rapport with each other going back to the days when she and Fitz were sneaking around trying to be together while his divorce from Mellie was finalized. While he would never condone adultery, he also knew that these two people genuinely loved and cared about each other and it was no secret to him how much happier and alive they both were when they were on the same footing. To see them now as a happily married couple simply made sense to him. That and she was a much better FLOTUS than Mellie had ever been, at least in his eyes.

Standing up to walk around the expansive cabin, Fitz loosened his tie as he continued to speak with her "anything interesting happen today?"

The question was simple but it brought with it a heavy weight that she wasn't quite sure how to address in the moment. Did she tell him the truth when she couldn't gauge his facial expressions or did she wait until he got home to let him know the latest development? Knowing her all too well, he stopped in his tracks and switched the phone to his other ear

"Livvie?" he asked her slowly

"Yes?"

"Tell me"

"Tell you what? There's nothing to tell" she said trying to convince herself more than him

"I hate it when you do that" he told her with a sign of frustration, "you know I'm going to eventually find out so you might as well tell me what's going on"

Though it had taken _a lot _of trial and error for them to finally get to a place where they weren't trying to constantly guard and save the others' feelings and instead just be honest about what was happening, she still found it difficult to not want to immediately revert back to her "Fixer" role when conversations started out like this.

"I may or may not have agreed to campaign for Mellie during her Senate run this fall" she said closing her eyes the minute the words left her mouth

"You what?" he asked furrowing his eyebrows and pinching the bridge of his nose while he took a calming breath

"I may or may not have agreed to campaign for Mellie during her Senate run" she repeated slowly "but it's not so much that I didn't but more that I did."

"Livvie, it's late, it's been an incredibly long week and I'm tired. Now's not the time to be cute with me and talk out of both sides of your mouth" he told her getting more annoyed as the conversation progressed.

"Fitz, first of all, pump your brakes and take a breath. I get that this isn't something you were expecting to hear but you asked and so I decided to be honest and tell you. Secondly, it's not like I agreed to run her campaign for Pete's sake. I merely agreed to go on a few campaign stops with her and her team and lend my support.

"Your support? You're seriously going to lend your support to the woman who for over 2 years tried every single dirty trick in the book to keep us from being together? The woman who has done some of the most underhanded things to get her way only to have them backfire at her? Seriously?"

Sitting up in bed and crossing her legs, she suddenly felt wide awake and defensive, never a good mind frame to be in. "Look Fitz, whether you like it or not, she is _always _going to be your ex-wife and she's _always _going to be the mother of your children. Yes, Mellie can be conniving and manipulative and underhanded but please don't sit here feigning innocence as if you didn't know that she was a political animal. Your divorce from her is over and finalized. Let it go. Let whatever hurt, betrayal and residual anger you have towards her go. She's making a run for Senate and I genuinely believe she has a decent shot at winning. Lending support to her campaign will be our way of showing the American people our solidarity without shoving this fabricated Partridge family picture down everyone's throat."

"Liv" he began before she cut him off

"I'm not asking you to campaign for her, hell, I'm not even asking you to throw your support behind her but I _am _asking you to support _me_ and my decision in doing this. I'm not doing this for you or to somehow fix your image. Your image at the moment doesn't need fixing and more importantly I'm doing this for me" she finished softly hoping he'd understand her perspective.

Sitting down on the couch in the cabin, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes as he spoke "Olivia, I just.."

"What?" she asked a bit irritated

"I can't talk about this right now. It's late, we're both tired and I don't want to say something that I'll regret especially when it comes to a discussion about my ex-wife and my current wife teaming up"

"Why is this so hard for you to wrap your head around?" she asked him genuinely confused and irritated

"Can we not do this right now? Please? We'll talk when I get home"

"But" she started but he didn't let her finish as he cut her off

"I said we'll talk when I get home. Goodnight Olivia"

Not bothering to say anything in return since her emotions were on high, she simply hung up the phone and rolled her eyes as she looked at it laying on her lap.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi Lovelies! First of all, WOW! You all blew me away with how passionate your responses were to the last chapter. Thank you for the insight, analysis and thought provoking comments you all left. I'm truly humbled that you all are enjoying this story so much. Many of your comments inspired the dialogue and direction of this chapter so please keep your amazing feedback coming! xoxo**

**-B**

_It was no secret that tensions were running high between Fitz and Olivia as he prepared to return to Washington. Though neither one of them had said anything to anyone else, Cyrus had picked up on the tension from Olivia and Tom, of course, knew that his boss was not in the happiest of moods having been on the flight with him where all hell had seemingly broken lose between him and the Mrs. Though they loved each other immensely and always strived to have each other's backs, it was obvious that there were still clearly things that he and Olivia needed to work through, one of which was the issue of his ex-wife. _

_She knew he was set to return today but having left their last conversation feeling angered, frustrated and annoyed, she certainly wasn't making any moves to rearrange her schedule to roll out the red carpet for him. "If he wants to see me, he'll know where to find me" she'd told her assistant Jennifer when she asked if she'd like for her to clear her schedule for the day. Taken aback by Olivia's response given that he'd been away for 10 days and rule of thumb was to always clear her calendar when the President returned home, she sensed that something must've happened between them. Not bothering to ask any more questions as it was clearly none of her business, she respected Olivia's wishes and kept her daily schedule intact. _

"What the hell is going on with you two?" Cyrus asked her sternly as he walked into her office not bothering to knock. He was clearly irritated for it being only 9 o'clock in the morning.

"You know, you should really see someone about controlling your blood pressure. All this stress can't be good for you" she told him not bothering to look up from the documents she was reviewing on her desk.

Running a hand down his face he began to pace around her office "It's too early in the morning for this Olivia so do us both a favor and quit acting like your IQ is 60 when it's really much higher than that" he told her quickly as he rolled his eyes upward toward the ceiling

Slowing raising her eyes towards him as she leveled him with her stare she simply said "What do you want Cyrus?"

"Me? What do I want?" he began sarcastically, "Oh I want a lot of things. I want world peace and for cheeseburgers to be calorie free. I want my husband to NOT want a baby. I want incompetent senators to quit stalling bills because they can't understand grown up language, I want –"

"Enough Cyrus, I get it. Why are you here?" she asked becoming annoyed

"I'm here because the President of the United States is set to return this afternoon after being gone for the past 10 days and call me crazy, but he's not really returning to a White House that's filled with puppies and rainbows. What happened between you two? And don't you dare tell me nothing because that's crap and you know it."

"Why are you so interested in what happened?" she asked incredulously as she furrowed her eyebrows and walked around her desk to lean against the front of it much like Fitz often did in his office. "Nothing happened. He's been gone, he's safe, he's coming back, what else is there to say?"

"I swear the two of you act like petulant children and I'm sick of it!" he stated harshly as he walked across to the other side of the room. "You're almost as bad as Mellie" he muttered under his breath

"Excuse me? What did you just say to me?" she challenged

"I said you're almost as bad as Mellie" he spat out angrily

Walking closer to him, she pointed a finger in his direction as she lowered her tone to deliver her message "don't you _ever _compare me to Mellie. Is that understood?"

"Crystal" he retorted as they fixed each other with icy stares. "Now, are we done with this bullshit where you threaten me and I threaten you right back cause I'll tell you what, as much as I'm enjoying this little verbal tennis match, I actually have quite a busy day ahead of me and don't have time to play."

Rolling her eyes at him as she walked back over to sit at her opulent desk, she figured she could either tell him (briefly) what had transpired or have him attached to her all day like a dog on a bone waiting for her to finally tell him.

"I'm helping Mellie campaign during her senatorial run" she stated nonchalantly as she began organizing papers on her desk not bothering to look up.

With his head nearly about to explode, he ran his fingers through his hair "Are you _**out **_of your ever loving mind?!"

"No, I'm not actually, but thank you for being concerned about my mental well being"

"You have done some _stupid _shit in your day Olivia Pope but this? This I can't even wrap my head around" he told her exasperated as he shook his head and began to pace.

"Well then that makes two of you" she told him as she crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Fitz: I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for me. It's something I want to do. Mellie came to me asking if I'd be willing to help campaign for her at a few stops and I agreed"

"And what? Tuesday felt like a good day to make a pact with the devil?" he asked incredulously

"Oh quit being so dramatic and take a breath"

"Don't you tell me to take a breath!" he bellowed as he went over to her desk and leaned in towards her "do you have _any _idea what this will do? What this will look like or don't you even care?"

"Of course I know and yes I care. What's your point?" she said shrugging her shoulders at him, which only served to piss him off even more

"Olivia, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS AND START ACTING LIKE THE FIRST LADY OF THESE UNITED STATES!" he screamed at her as the door swung open revealing Fitz standing in the doorway looking a bit shocked at Cyrus' sudden outburst.

"Cyrus!"

Turning a red face towards the president, he straightened up, readjusted his tie and acknowledged him "Mr. President"

"I'd like a moment alone with my wife"

"Sir – " he began

"Cyrus, we need the room!" he told him stepping away from the doorway so Cyrus could exit. With a huff and a door slam, Cyrus was gone.

Placing his hands in his pockets, he had his head down as he slowly walked towards her desk not saying a word. Standing up from her seat she walked over to him but made no move to kiss him or touch him in any way. She simply stood in front of him.

"You're back"

"Clearly" he told her sarcastically as he raised an eyebrow at her

"Fitz look, if we're going to do this whole passive aggressive thing, let's do each other a favor and not"

"Do you have any idea how upset I am about this?"

"I have some idea, yes"

"And what?" he asked her frustrated as he stretched his arms out to his sides. "Olivia, this is _Mellie _we're talking about! Why in the _hell _would you make a decision like this without consulting me about it?" he asked her sounding a bit hurt.

"I didn't realize that I needed to run every decision by you" she told him walking around him towards the window

"Liv, I thought we were past this, I thought we were in a better place, what the hell happened?"

"We are good, we are in a better place" she replied turning around to face him

"Clearly we're not because you're still doing things like you're trying to prove a point!"

"And what point would that be?" she asked him defiantly

"That you deserve to be my wife, that you deserve to be First Lady and that what we did to end up together wasn't wrong"

With tears beginning to well in her eyes she was trying her best to hold it together "Fitz –"

"Livvie, you need to let that go. Whatever baggage and residual guilt you're carrying around, you need to let that go. It took two people to get us to where we are and I don't regret what we did or how it happened. Do I regret hurting Mellie and our kids, yes, but I'm also not going to spend the rest of my life, of _our lives, _kissing her ass because I feel guilty about it and like I need to forever make amends for it."

He slowly walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips "I chose _you, _I love _you_ and no amount of insanely asinine impulse decisions or crap that you decide to pull on me is going to change that but I need for you to understand why I don't want you to do this with Mellie"

Turning to look away from him, she removed his hands from her waist and again walked around him to go sit on the couch.

"Olivia '"

"Fine Fitz, I get it, you're upset and you don't want me campaigning for Mellie. I'll call her tomorrow and I'll tell her I can't do it" she told him in a more frustrated tone than he'd expected.

"So what? Now you're placating me because you think it's what I want to hear?" he asked furrowing his eyebrows at her as he went to sit across from her on the office couch

"Well it is what you want isn't it?"

"Dammit Olivia, you are my _wife! _Sue me if I have a hard time understanding why in the **hell **my current wife would want to campaign for or help my former ex-wife who was absolutely awful, in every way. I have children with her, I get that, believe me I do, but when are you going to finally choose _me_ instead of always choosing what's going to look best image wise? You're not a fixer anymore Livvie, you're the First Lady of the United States!"

"What do you mean finally choose you? I did choose you, I have chosen you!" she told him becoming more upset and leaning forward towards him

"No, you haven't, not completely anyway. This is what we do Livvie, we fight, I chase, you run and the cycle begins all over again. I thought we were past that? I thought that now that we're married you'd understand that you don't have to run anymore. I'm not going anywhere. Mellie? She's not coming between us anymore so what are you so afraid of?"

With her lip beginning to quiver as she tried to hold back tears, he let out a tired sigh and walked over to sit next to her on the couch. Wrapping his arms around her, he brought her in to his chest.

"Livvie"

Taking a breath as she pulled away from him, she looked at him with tear-rimmed eyes "I love you, I do"

"I know that, I love you too but Livvie we need to stop doing this to each other. We're married now. That means we can't undermine each other or chip away at the things that have taken so long for us to build. I get it, we had a really rough couple of years and I get why you'd want to help her to prove some sort of point to people that still have some type of negative feelings about it but something like that, I'm just asking you that we talk about these things first" he said to her as he wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"We're not the best at communicating with each other, are we?" she told him with a small smile

"No, we're not, but we've gotten much better at it even though it's still a work in progress." Sighing as he lifted a bent knee onto the couch and turned to face her completely, he took her face in his hands "Livvie, _nothing _is more important to me than you, our marriage and my kids but I need you to actually start believing that if this is going to work." Dropping his hands away from her face, he simply looked at her.

Placing her hands on his chest, she leaned in to softly kiss him on the lips and rested her forehead against his when they pulled away "I'm sorry"

"Liv, I never want to make you feel like you need to ask me for permission to do anything. You're an incredibly brilliant, passionate, independent woman and _that's _who I fell in love with and I don't ever want to change that but this thing with Mellie" he said as he pulled back and looked her in the eyes, "I won't allow you to sabotage our marriage because you're still feeling guilt over how we started."

"I get what you're saying, I do, I just didn't think of it being that big of a deal when I agreed to help her. She and I, while we're obviously not the best of friends, have strangely come to an understanding about you and our relationship and we're at a place now that we're able to be cordial with each other instead of constantly tearing each other down. In my mind, I felt like I owed it to myself to extend an Olive branch and go above the bounds of what it means to be First Lady on my own terms, in my own way" she surmised softly

"You're unbelievable you know that?" he told her with a small smile as he shook his head

"Why? Cause I'm so eloquent?"

"No, because you make me want to strangle you one minute and make love to you the next."

Cupping her cheek and softly gliding his thumb across it, he leaned in to capture her lips. It was a kiss that conveyed more than any words ever could about what she meant to him and how he truly felt about her. Opening her mouth under his gentle probing, they both sank into the kiss when their tongues met each other after what had felt like years. Raking her fingers along the back of his neck, she smiled into the kiss when she heard his soft moan. Breaking away after what felt like an eternity, he smiled softly at her as he ran his thumb across her bottom lip.

"I know I can't control you or the decisions that you make so I'm going to let you make the call on this. I've already told you how I feel about it but if you choose to go ahead and campaign for her anyway" he sighed before he finished his sentiment, "then I'll support you."

Looking down for a moment as she gathered her thoughts, she surprised him by the small smile she gave him in return. "No, I choose you."

"What?"

"I choose you and I choose our marriage. I'm loyal to _you _Fitz, not to Mellie and I'm sorry that it took me this long to figure that out. I respect you, not only as my president, but also as my husband and the love of my life. With that, comes respecting how you feel about certain things and if this is something that's this important to you then I respect that and I won't do it."

"Liv, I don't want you to not do this just because I said it'd bother me"

"No, I'm notdoing this because it'd bother _me._ I don't want you to ever feel like I haven't chosen you because I do and I will, every time. Well, except this one time but that was seriously just a severe momentary lapse in judgment" she finished with a wink. "We are in this together and I don't ever want you to doubt that, or me."

"I love you"

"I love you too"

"Now how are you going to break this to Mellie?"

"I may be the First Lady but I'm still a fixer at heart. I'll handle it"

Smirking and shaking his head as he stood up and reached down to grab her hand, "I'm sure you will, c'mon"

"We're we going?" she asked confused as he intertwined their fingers and led them towards her office door

"_We _are going upstairs and spending some time alone together because it's been 10 days since I've seen you and frankly I can't take it anymore" he finished as he slowly licked his lips with a gleam in his eyes.

* * *

_Watching them walk out of the office hand in hand, Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief and threw a small smile in their direction. _

"Aw there, that's better!" he said a bit exaggeratedly

Shaking his head at him Fitz looked at him with a smirk "Cyrus I'm going to go spend some time with my wife. Don't interrupt me unless the next apocalypse has commenced"

"Duly noted sir, have fun!"

"Oh but I intend to" he said with a wink towards Olivia as she smiled up at him.

Turning to address him over her shoulder as she briskly walked down the hallway, "Oh and Cyrus? I'm still mad at you about earlier"

"Ah, you'll get over it" he said throwing a dismissive hand her way as he continued walking towards his office with a much happier pep in his step.


	6. Chapter 6

_A comfortable peace seemed to settle over Fitz and Olivia after their much needed and quite frankly overdue heart to heart in her office several days ago. It was as if an unspoken burden had been lifted from both their shoulders and permission had been granted for them to finally be their genuine, authentic selves within their marriage. Olivia no longer felt the need to guard or protect her husband's feelings and instead she now approached all their conversations like she was accustomed to doing when they weren't officially together. She never held anything back then so it was a surprise when Fitz called her out on it and wondered why she was doing it now, when they were married. It seemed backward and convoluted and quite frankly made absolutely no sense to either of them so Olivia dropped the charade and was simply herself. Beautiful, independent, feisty but most important of all completely in love with her husband and willing to go to any lengths and over however many cliffs it took for that man and his (their) happiness. _

_For his part, Fitz was seemingly on cloud nine. Not that he and Olivia hadn't been happy before but over the past several days he was truly living the life and had the marriage that he'd always wanted: honest, loving, playful, intellectual and best of all one in which both sides of the partnership challenged and pushed each other in a healthy manner, not in an attempt to tear each other apart and undermine everything that the union was built on. The change was palpable to everyone in the White House and it allowed a serene feeling to overtake everyone and everything, well, as much as was possible given that Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III was still the leader of the free world and world issues and drama didn't stop just because he and Olivia were happy. _

_It was mornings like this one where he wished that he could somehow call in sick, sleep in a bit later or take a vacation day. Though he and Olivia did have a planned vacation coming up in a few weeks, he couldn't help but wish that it were happening today. Rolling over on his side so his arm lazily draped over his wife's mid-section, he scooted up closer to her so his face was buried in her neck. Instinctively turning into him, she reached up and buried her hand in his hair, which caused him to moan softly in his sleep. Lying like this for a while longer until his alarm woke him up at 9:30am, it was the best sleep he'd had in days. Waking up to shower and then get dressed, he smiled over at his wife as she peacefully slept. He loved seeing her so calm, relaxed and happy. Walking over to her before he went downstairs to begin his day, he sat on the edge of the bed and leaned down to give her a kiss on her forehead. Smiling softly at the sensation, she only released a contented sigh but made no move to wake up. _

_Briskly walking down the hall to the Oval, he had an unmistakable smile on his face. "Good morning Mr. President" several staffers had offered as they saw him walk past. As he rounded the corner and stopped by Ms. Hanley's office for his morning messages, the inimitable sound of Hollis Doyle's voice caused him to look up. _

"Well good morning Mr. President! How is the leader of the free world this morning?"

Giving Ms. Hanley a small smile as he retrieved the messages from her hand, he turned to face Hollis as he continued on towards his office "Good morning Hollis, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow and walked around to his desk.

"Well you know, I was around the neighborhood and figured I'd stop by to see how my old friends Cyrus and Sally were doing" he told him a bit too loudly as he walked into the Oval and sat on the couch.

"Friends? I wasn't aware that you, Cyrus and Sally were all that close?" he asked a bit sarcastically

"Well hell, we're about as close as a cactus and a porcupine in love but I figure I'm wearing them down so they'll see what a true gem of a human being I actually am" he told him proudly

"You sure are one heck of a character Hollis, I'll give you that" he said shaking his head as he briefly looked up at him and then resumed to sifting through the papers on his desk

"If I didn't know better I'd say that was a compliment Fitzy! Are you getting soft in your old age? Is Mrs. Pope-Grant finally wearing you down?"

"Olivia's –"

"And speaking of your wife, where is she? I haven't seen her in a minute. You sure you're not hiding her somewhere so she doesn't –"

"Doesn't what Hollis?" came the calm but slightly amused voice of Olivia as she walked into the Oval

Turning their attention towards the door where she stood with a small smirk on her face, Hollis stood up and addressed her

"Well aren't you just a sight for sore eyes" he stated before turning towards Fitz and adding "no offense sir"

"None taken" he told him with a smirk as he leaned back in his chair to watch the scene unfold in front of him

"Thank you Hollis, though I must say that I'm surprised to see you here so early this morning. I'm sure that it wasn't just to wait for me to show up and pay me a compliment"

"Course not darlin! I came to have a little chat with Mr. Cyrus and Ms. Sally and figured I'd stop by and say hello to our President, after all, how many people do you know can walk in here and say they're on a first name basis with the president?"

Clasping her hands in front of her and quickly facing in Fitz' direction before turning back to Hollis she simply told him "Me? I actually know quite a few"

"Well of course you do" he told her leveling his gaze with hers. Clapping his hands as he straightened out his suit jacket, "Well, if you two will excuse me, I must get back to my very busy day. Those hush puppies sure as hell aren't going to eat themselves!" he finished as he walked around Olivia and out the door closing it behind him.

Shaking her head as she walked towards her husband who was shaking his as well, she leaned on the side of his desk facing him.

"Seriously, why do we put up with that man?" he asked incredulously as he shook his head

"Oh stop it, he's not that bad"

"He's a political pain in my ass is what he is"

"That may be so but don't forget, he got you here the first time around"

"Yeah, yeah, don't remind me"

Swiveling his chair around to completely face her, a small smile crept across his face as he looked at her. She was wearing a knee-length black dress that had a high statement collar that made her look incredibly regal with her perfectly applied makeup.

"How is it that you _always _look so good? In clothes, out of clothes" he trailed off as he lowered his voice and looked her up and down with a satisfied smile on his face

"Mm, might have something to do with the incredible sleep I've been getting lately thanks to my husband" she told him playing along as he stood up to wrap his arms around her waist and plant a lingering kiss on her cheek.

"Really? Tell me all about it" he whispered seductively in her ear as she placed a hand behind his head to cradle it for a moment

"Mm, I wish I could but I've got a very important day today" she told him pulling back from him and kissing him quickly on the lips

Stepping back slightly so he leaned against the desk and brought her to stand between his legs, she played with his tie as they spoke

"Are you nervous?" he asked as he ran his hands up and down her sides slowly

"No, I'm excited. This is a wonderful opportunity to help women in our community and I'm really proud of the work that we'll be able to do moving forward."

_The __OPG Center for Empowered Women was holding its grand opening that evening and she and Fitz were attending the ribbon cutting ceremony. After nearly a year and a half of intense planning, the center was finally complete. It would be based in the heart of Washington D.C. and would provide much needed services to women and their children. From healthcare services to educational courses, the list was endless as to what Olivia envisioned for her namesake center. After leaving OPA once she became First Lady, she threw herself head first into this project and it was truly a labor of love. From countless hours spent in meetings to the very many late nights where she didn't see her husband before he was asleep due to her planning and strategizing, she was beyond thrilled that the grand opening was finally here. _

Cradling her face between his hands he looked lovingly into her eyes "I am _so _proud of you Livvie. I know how hard you and your people have worked on this and I couldn't be happier for you. I know this center will be a huge success" he finished as he planted a soft, sensual kiss on her lips

Smiling as she pulled back, she looked down for a beat as she took in her husband's heartwarming compliment "thank you honey"

"Of course, are you kidding? Any chance I get to show off to the world how brilliant and amazing my wife is I'm all over it. So what time do we need to be there tonight? Eight?"

"Yes, we'll be there at eight, the ribbon ceremony is slated to take place at eight-thirty, we mingle for a bit and then we can come home"

Nodding his head as he listened to her, he traced one of the buttons on her dress "okay, I'll be there. Can you stop by here when you're ready and then we'll leave together?"

"Will do" she said to him as she pulled him closer to her by his tie and kissed him. "Have a good day, love you"

"Mm, love you too"

* * *

_The day seemed to fly by as Fitz attended several security-briefing meetings and Olivia met with her staffers to ensure that everything was 100% ready to go that evening. Coming down to the Oval at around 7:45, she helped him put on his suit jacket and straightened his tie before they walked out hand in hand towards their waiting limo. Sitting in a comfortable silence as the presidential motorcade traveled the 5 miles to the center, he placed a hand on her exposed knee and kissed her temple. _

_Upon arriving at the center they'd stopped to pose for several pictures, made their mandatory rounds with the news media and later headed towards the area where the ribbon cutting ceremony was to take place. "This is an incredibly proud moment not only for myself and the hundreds of people that have poured their hearts and souls into this project but also for the thousands of women that will walk through these doors and begin new chapters in their lives. We are committed to ensuring that women of all ages, races and socio-economic backgrounds are empowered and equipped with the necessary tools to make a difference not only within our community but also far beyond. It is my greatest honor to officially open the "OPG Center for Empowered Women!" As she finished her brief speech, hundreds of light bulbs went off as the media captured her cutting the ceremonial ribbon to her new venture. _

_In moments like these Fitz enjoyed playing the role of supportive husband. He loved watching her work the room, charm reporters and politicians alike and simply be herself. In these situations he would usually take a backseat so she could shine in her well-deserved spotlight. As he chatted with a few White House staffers he looked across the room and noticed Olivia speaking with a journalist who had a recorder in her hand. Though she was smiling and carrying on the conversation, he could tell that she wasn't quite right. Her smile didn't seem to reach her eyes and she suddenly looked very drained. _

_When the interview was over she grabbed one of her staffers by the elbow as she walked by and whispered something to her that Fitz couldn't make out. He was trying to pay attention to the conversation taking place in front of him but he couldn't help but feel worried about seeing her in her current state. Coming back over with a chilled bottle of water, she gratefully took it from her staffer's hand and pinched the bridge of her nose as she took a few steps to get out of the main room. Furrowing his eyebrows in her direction, he excused himself quickly and walked over to her. Coming up behind her he placed a soothing hand on the small of her back and turned her around to face him. _

'Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?" he asked as he looked at her worriedly and skimmed his thumb across her cheek.

Placing a hand on his chest, she smiled weakly at him as she composed herself, "Yeah, I'm fine, just got a little lightheaded with all the lights and people but I'm fine honey, don't worry about me"

"I always worry about you, you know that" he told her with nothing but concern in his voice. "Are you ready to go home?"

"Yes please, let me just get my clutch from the back and we'll go."

As she leaned in to give him a quick kiss, he held on to her a bit longer to reassure himself that she was okay. Watching her walk away, he waited for a few minutes until she returned with her bag and they walked out together. Arriving back at the house, Olivia insisted on heading straight to bed. She quickly changed into her silk nightgown and crawled under the covers. Taking off his suit jacket and throwing it over the armrest on the couch, he loosened his tie as he walked over to their bed and sat on the edge of it stroking her hair.

"Baby what's going on with you? You seemed perfectly fine on our way there and now you can barely sit up. Did you eat something that didn't sit well in your stomach?" he asked trying to figure out what could possibly be wrong with her that would cause such a change within a few hours.

"I'm perfectly fine honey, I honestly think its just exhaustion. I've been going non-stop for weeks now and after the ribbon cutting ceremony it just all finally caught up with me. I just need to sleep for a few hundred hours and I should be perfectly fine" she teased in an effort to get him to lighten up.

"I don't like seeing you this way. You should probably go see a doctor or -"

"Fitz, stop it, please I'm perfectly fine. Now, are we going to keep talking or are you joining me in bed so I can be 'little spoon?'" she asked him softly as her eyes were quickly closing.

Not able to stay awake any longer, her head lulled to the side and she was soon fast asleep. Taking a deep sigh, he changed out of his clothes and joined her in bed. Spooning behind her he kissed her cheek before closing his eyes and drifting off next to her.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm baaaaaack! Work has been insanely busy so I sincerely apologize for my lack of updates. Between now and July 16th I'm not sure how much I'll be able to update this story due to my work schedule but I'll try my best to get something up whenever I get a few minutes to write. Hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**-B**

_It had been a week since the opening of __OPG Center for Empowered Women and Olivia still wasn't feeling her absolute best but she'd done an incredible job of keeping that from Fitz and those that worked closely around her. She had convinced herself that it was probably just a bug that was going around or that she was coming down with something after months of going full speed ahead with work and life. She shrugged it off and continued her day to day activities knowing full well that if Fitz got wind of her feeling less than 100%, he'd have Jennifer cancel all of her appointments for the following month. Not one to ever complain or admit defeat, she pushed on with a smile on her face. _

_With spring quickly turning to summer, the weather was the perfect temperature to go for a nice, relaxing run with her iPod, new running shoes and of course, her ever present Secret Service agents. Getting up and ready before Fitz even stirred in his sleep, a direct result of working insanely long hours for the past few days getting a bill to go through Congress, she tightened her shoe laces and placed the headphones in her ears as she strapped on her iPod to her sleeve pocket. With a look back at Tom and Henry – the newest addition to her security detail – she gave them a small smile as if to say "Keep up boys!" _

_It'd been quite some time since she'd gone for a run and she realized once again how relaxing of an exercise activity she found it to be. With the brisk spring breeze coursing through the trees as she ran swiftly by, she smiled at the simplicity of her actions. Here she was, the First Lady of the United States going for an early morning run in D.C. with her not so inconspicuous Secret Service agents following closely behind. After going for about half a mile, she checked her watch and saw that she was making good time in her run. Everything seemed to be going well until a sickening feeling hit her and she stopped running and doubled over pressing her hands into her knees. _

_Tom and Henry immediately caught up to where she'd stopped and protectively stood on either side of her, shielding her from any potentially prying eyes. _

_"Mrs. Grant, are you okay?" Tom asked her with concern clearly evident in his voice_

_Holding up a finger in his direction to signal that she needed 'one minute' to compose herself, she took several deep breaths before standing up and closing her eyes briefly. _

_"I'm fine, just got a bit lightheaded is all" she told both of them as she gratefully took the water bottle that Henry held out in her direction. _

_"Would you like to continue your run ma'am?" Henry asked softly when he noticed that the color was slowly coming back to her face. _

_Taking another deep breath as she pressed "Stop" on her iPod she shook her head. "No, I think I'm done for the day. Plus, you boys look like you need a break" she finished with a small smile in their direction. _

Beginning to walk over to where the waiting car stood with its engine running, she stopped for a beat and told both of them "Oh and Tom, Henry – the President doesn't hear about this" she told them with a firm tone

Exchanging a quick glance with Henry, Tom was the first to object "Ma'am, the President insists on being briefed on anything that happens with or to you. It's for security purposes."

"That's fine but I highly doubt that me getting lightheaded while on my morning run is anything that will impact our domestic or any international economies or governmental affairs so this he doesn't need to know."

"Ma'am –"

Turning around, she put a hand up to interrupt him before he could continue "Tom look, I know that you are close to the President and that you are incredibly protective of me and the kids, but believe me, the last thing my husband, your Commander in Chief, needs is to be unnecessarily worried about something that is inconsequential. Understood?"

With a resigned and uncomfortable look in her direction, he finally relented, "Understood ma'am"

_Arriving back at the White House, she showered, changed and got ready for her very busy day. She missed Fitz as he was already in his second meeting of the day so it would have to be until later in the evening when they finally saw each other. _

_Taking a brief break for lunch in between his marathon of meetings, he looked up when he heard a soft knock on his office door. Granting permission to enter, he set down his pen as he watched Tom walk in. _

"Sir you called for me?"

"Yes, I have a few very brief moments before my next meeting so I wanted to hear if there were any updates with Olivia or the kids?" he asked as he picked up his pen and continued to sign the documents on his desk. Sensing the hesitation from Tom, he looked back up and leaned back in his chair. "Tom?"

"Sir?"

"What's going on, are the kids okay?" he asked beginning to become a bit worried

"Yes sir, the kids are perfectly fine. Karen and Jerry are set to arrive in D.C. in a few weeks and Teddy is with his mother this weekend per your visiting schedule."

"Okay, then what's with the tension filled silence?"

"Sir, I'm not sure I follow" he said beginning to become increasingly uncomfortable under Fitz's hard stare

"Oh c'mon Thomas, I know you. You only get this quiet when there's something you're attempting to hide from me and are subsequently doing an incredibly awful job at. So out with it" he told him standing up and placing his hands in his pockets as he walked over to his office window.

"Sir, I'm under strict orders from Mrs. Pope-Grant not to divulge anything"

This statement caught Fitz's attention. Turning around to face him, he squinted his eyes as he scoffed in Tom's direction "Are you serious? What did Olivia do now? Did she spend an obscene amount of money shopping for shoes or something?"

With a half-smile in his direction, Tom was glad that Fitz was able to lighten the mood in this moment "No sir, nothing like that"

"Okay then, what is it?" he asked again shrugging his shoulders.

Shifting uncomfortably as he released a long sigh, he shook his head and closed his eyes briefly as he looked towards his boss "Sir, please know that I like and respect Mrs. Pope-Grant very much but I may not be in her good graces after I break this promise that she made me make this morning."

Furrowing his eyebrows at him, he walked over to where Tom stood and leaned against his desk "Geez, I hope you two aren't planning to take over the world if it sounds this dire" he said with a raised eyebrow

"No sir but it might as well be that drastic given how serious she was"

Releasing a sigh as he looked down, he finally had had enough "Tom, just tell me, what is it? What is so bad that Olivia made you promise not to tell me and that which is causing you to be so incredibly uncomfortable right now?

"Sir, Mrs. Pope-Grant, Henry and I went on a run early this morning and she became lightheaded so we cut the run short and came back to the White House."

"I knew she wasn't alright" he muttered to himself as he took his hands out of his pockets and lighted knocked on the desk. "Did you take her to see a doctor?"

"No sir, she insisted that she was alright and it was just a moment of feeling lightheaded so we should head back here so she could rest"

"And did she?" he asked with a raised eyebrow already knowing the answer

With a smirk he replied "No sir, she did not. She got ready and left for her 9am meeting as soon as we got back"

Shaking his head, he pinched the bridge of his nose as he walked around his desk once more "Thank you Tom and don't worry about Olivia being upset with you for telling me, I'll deal with her" he told him in an effort to reassure his most trusted Secret Service agent.

"Thank you sir, will there be anything else?"

"No that'll be all Tom, thanks. Do me a favor though?"

"Of course sir?"

"Go have a drink will ya? I know how those early morning runs with Livvie go" he told him with a small smile in his direction which Tom reciprocated before walking out.

Leaning back in his chair, he sighed as he reached over to buzz Mrs. Hanley.

"Mr. President?"

"Hi Mrs. Hanley, is Olivia in her office?"

"Yes sir, she just returned from her meeting a few minutes ago"

"Perfect, thank you" he told her as he hung up the phone and stood up to walk out of the office.

Walking briskly through the White House corridors on his way to Olivia's office, he didn't register that Cyrus was walking up towards him until he was directly in front of him.

"Mr. President we have to –"

"Not now Cyrus, I have something important that I need to take care of" he quickly told him as he continued walking.

Arriving at her door, he knocked twice before he heard her response. Walking in, he saw her removing her jacket as she turned around to face him

"Fitz –"

"We need to talk"


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi Lovelies! Here is the latest installment of _Shades of Gray. _I rewrote the ending part of this chapter multiple times so I hope the end product doesn't disappoint. Enjoy! **

Turning to face him, she already knew what this was about and where this conversation was going. Releasing a slow breath as she walked to take a seat behind her desk, she kept her eyes on her husband as she watched him take a seat on the edge of her desk. Turning to face her, he clasped his hands in his lap as he cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Let me guess, Tom told you" she stated matter of fact

"Did you seriously think he wouldn't?"

"So I got a bit lightheaded, what's the big deal Fitz?" she asked as she began organizing papers on her desk to avoid having to look directly at his disapproving gaze

"The big deal is that this isn't the first time it's happened Olivia" he told her as he leaned over and placed a hand over hers to stop her nervous movement. "You got lightheaded after the OPG opening and you pushed me so hard on it that I let it go and shrugged it off as you being exhausted but it's been a couple of weeks now and clearly something is going on with you."

Looking up, she rolled her eyes slightly as she shook her head at him "Fitz, I'm _fine, _you're overreacting for no reason"

"Liv, I _worry_ about you, what's so difficult to understand about that?"

"And I appreciate that, I do, but as President you have far more important things to worry about than whether or not I'm overworking myself"

"You know, I always knew you were stubborn as all hell but I feel like you've kicked it up a few notches since we tied the knot and made it official" he told her as he shook his head and walked over to throw his suit jacket over the side of the couch in her office.

"I'm stubborn and opinionated, big surprise there, what's your point Fitz?"

"My _point _is that I'm through playing games with you Livvie" he told her with a slightly raised voice as he turned back to face her and walked around to where she sat. "You think I have far more important things to worry about than you and your schedule? That may be so but believe me, this country is damned to hell if their President can't concentrate because he's in the hospital watching over his ailing wife!" he told her defiantly as he watched her stand up and stand toe-to-toe with him.

"Quit being so dramatic" she told him annoyed as she adjusted his tie

Pulling her to him so she could no longer avoid his gaze, "Olivia Carolyn Pope-Grant –"

"Fitz-"

Opening his mouth, he stared her down "Stop. I'm done listening to your excuses. You _will _go see a doctor and you _will _find out what is going on with you and I won't hear another word about it"

Releasing a sigh, she finally gave up "Fine, I'll go see a doctor"

"That's nice that you're being so accommodating but I don't believe you, so I'm actually going to go with you"

"That is completely unnecessary"

"I don't think it is actually. You are my wife and I am your husband and as such I need to know that you're okay. Hell, this _country _needs for you to be okay"

"That's unfair, you can't play the country card on me whenever you guilt trip me into doing something Fitz, that's low" she said to him in a semi-good natured tone as she ran her hand down his chest

"It worked didn't it?" he told her in a hoarse whisper as he leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss and then leaned his forehead on hers

"I hate you"

"I hate you too"

* * *

The next morning, with much protest from his wife, Fitz and Olivia got dressed in silence as they prepared for their doctor's appointment. As much as she hated to admit it, a part of her was a bit worried that something _was _actually wrong and she'd need to come to terms with it. Compounding the dread was the fact that she didn't want Fitz to worry himself to death if something was in fact wrong with her. As they sat in the presidential limo on their way to a private doctor's appointment, so the general public wouldn't begin speculating on anything before they were ready to address it, he reached over for her hand and laid a soft, gentle kiss atop it. Smiling softly over at him she knew that he was trying his level best not to worry.

"Honey, it'll be fine, promise"

"I know, I just want you to be okay"

"C'mere" she told him as she reached over and he scooted closer to her. Taking his face in her hands, she leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips. "I love you and whatever it is, we'll face it together okay? So stop worrying until there's something to worry _about_"

"You never stop being a fixer do you?" he stated with a smile as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

The appointment started like any other routine checkup with Dr. Jameson going over the preliminary questions to ascertain if anything, besides the lightheadedness she'd been experiencing lately, had been out of the ordinary. Surmising that she needed to run some tests in order to make sure that nothing was seriously wrong, it was going to be a while before she had anything concrete to provide them.

Minutes felt like hours and together they waited. For the first time in a very long time, neither one of them checked their watches or phones; it was as if time was standing still.

After what seemed like hours, Dr. Jameson, a very attractive woman in her early 40s who had been the family doctor since Fitz took the White House, walked back into her office where the President and First Lady waited. Having been in high stakes situations before, Olivia tried her best to see if she could find anything out from Dr. Jameson's facial expression or body language but she wasn't giving anything away. With a knot beginning to form in the pit of her stomach, she gripped Fitz's hand a bit more tightly as the doctor turned to face them.

"Dr. Jameson, is everything okay? Did tests show anything?" Fitz asked unable to wait any longer

"Well, tests showed a little something" she began slowly "but nothing that is life threatening"

"Okay, then what is it?" Olivia asked hurriedly unable to contain her nerves

"Well, let's just say that it's a good thing you have others that manage your schedules because it's going to get a lot more busy when you start running around after a little one" she told them both with a smile as Olivia sat in her seat dumbfounded and Fitz sported a look of surprised shock on his face

"I'm pregnant?" Olivia asked in a bit of shock as a million thoughts raced through her head

"Indeed you are, about 6 weeks along, which accounts for why you've been feeling lightheaded and nauseous and haven't been able to shake that flu-like symptom feeling"

"But when, how-" Fitz asked no one in particular as he tried to wrap his head around the fact that he was not only going to be a father for the fourth time but that it was finally happening with Olivia

"Mr. President, I'm sure that you can figure out the _how _part" she told them a bit amused, "but as for the when, if my calculations are correct I'd say you conceived around the 24th of March.

"24th of oh…" Olivia trailed off as she and Fitz looked at each other with a knowing glance

"That was the week I got back from the G-8 Summit" he said softly as he remembered that night

* * *

_Flashback: _

_Holding his hands behind her back as she led them up the stairs to the private residence, he smiled behind her as she looked over her shoulder at him. After an excruciatingly long 10 day trip to Japan for the G-8 Summit and a subsequent heart to heart with his wife that was clearly long overdue, he wanted – correction __**needed **__– to spend some quality alone time with Olivia. A vow that they had made to each other on their wedding day was that they would work hard to not allow the everyday responsibilities get in the way of them just being them and it seemed as if the last couple of months had tested that promise. Their latest argument was merely a consequence of what had had the potential to become an emotional rift between them but he'd be damned if this marriage was going to be anything like the one he'd had with Mellie. _

_Dropping his hands to her waist as she slowly opened the door to their bedroom, he pushed her hair to the side and attached his lips to her neck as she wrapped his arms tighter around her waist. Releasing a soft moan as she felt him apply pressure, she reached up a hand to hold the side of his face as he trailed his kisses up to her ear. _

"_I've missed you" _

_Stopping his sweet torture for the time being, he lifted his head and turned her around in his arms "Not as much as I missed you but we can argue about that later" he finished with a smile as he began walking her backwards to their bed until the back of her knees made contact with their bed frame. Leaning down to capture her lips in a soul-searing kiss, he moaned into her mouth as she reached up to entangle both of her hands in his hair, a move that she knew drove him absolutely crazy. Reaching behind her, he began to slowly unzip her dress as her hands moved between them to undo his tie and unbutton his shirt. _

_Pulling away breathless, they both stared at each other with lazy smiles as it had been far too long since they'd done this. With no pending phone calls or meetings on either of their schedules, they didn't need to rush and could instead simply take their time and savor each other. Letting her dress fall from her shoulders and pool at her feet, Fitz simply stared at her as her gorgeous body was once again revealed to him. Pulling the tie that Olivia had undone from his neck and throwing it to the floor, he untucked his shirt from his dress pants and discarded it as he watched her lick her lips subconsciously watching him. The fact that she was just as turned on by him as he was by her was enough to make him unravel right then and there but he held it together. Tonight was going to be about them reacquainting themselves with each other and it wouldn't stop until the wee hours of the morning. _

_Stepping out of her dress, she sat on the bed as they watched each other. Longing stares and knowing smiles took the place of heated arguments and time spent apart. Leaning over her, he lowered her onto the bed as he lips once again found their home over hers. As they moved towards the center of their bed, Fitz felt Olivia undoing his belt buckle and pants as he reached behind her to unclasp and remove her bra. Leaving her lips, she let out a surprised gasp as she felt him attach his mouth over her breast as her fingers once again got lost in his hair. _

"_Fitz" was all she could utter as her eyes drifted closed savoring the sensation of having his mouth on her body. Moving over to her other breast to ensure no part went unattended, she was so caught up in the moment that she didn't realize he'd slipped off her panties and was now working his way down her body. Her body shivered with anticipation and he smiled as he worked his way down knowing that it wouldn't be long until she was screaming his name in rapture. Taking both of her hands and intertwining their fingers, he wasted no time pleasuring her with his mouth. Completely devouring her for what felt like hours, he kissed and sucked until her back arched in pleasure. Squeezing his hands as she released a loud groan unable to hold back her orgasm any longer, he looked up to find her with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. Smiling down at her as he toed off his shoes and removed his pants and underwear, he leaned over her again and peppered her face with kisses. _

"_You okay?" he asked her with a smile in his voice_

_A nod was all she could muster as she turned her face to look at her husband who had a mischievous smile on his face_

"_What?"_

"_Nothing, I just love watching you come completely undone when we're making love. It's so unlike the Olivia Pope the rest of the world gets to see" he finished softly as he lowered his mouth onto hers again and settled between her legs. Reaching down between them, she could already feel his arousal on her inner thigh. Wrapping a hand around his erection, he buried his face in her neck as he felt her begin to stroke him in a slow, agonizing rhythm. _

"_Fuck" was all he could manage as he began to slowly thrust in time with her hand. _

"_Baby I want to come inside of you, not all over you and that won't happen if you keep this up" he told her hoarsely trying to control himself_

"_Then what're you waiting for?" she challenged as she let out a slight yelp when she felt him bite her neck softly. Without any warning, he grabbed himself and placed his tip at her entrance letting them both enjoy the feeling for a moment. Releasing simultaneous groans Olivia couldn't take it any longer. Taking his face in her hands she licked her lips trying to gather her thoughts. _

"_Fitz, now" _

_With a look of sheer hunger in his eyes, he plunged into her over and over until she cried out. Rolling them both over, she placed both hands on his chest as he grabbed her hips and slowed the pace at which she was moving on top of him. Biting her lip, she threw her head back and allowed her long hair to sprawl across her back as she neared her climax. As he watched her on top of him in the throes of complete ecstasy, he couldn't believe that his beautiful creature was his wife. _

_Reaching up to grab her face in his hands, she leaned down and allowed him to swallow her moan as they both climaxed together. Laying her head on his sweaty chest, they lay still for a while allowing their breathing to return to normal. Turning her face, she left open mouthed kisses all over his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair. Looking up at her husband, her smile of sheer satisfaction and contentment was all he needed. _

"_Hi" _

"_Hi baby" he told her with that special smile he reserved only for her as he rolled them both over and pinned her underneath him once more_

_Reaching down to playfully squeeze his butt cheeks, she bit her bottom lip as he gave her an amused look and raised his eyebrows at her _

"_What? I've missed __**all **__of you" she answered innocently as his lips descended on hers once more and his hands traveled down her body._

* * *

Shaking her head slightly to rid it of the inappropriate thoughts currently running through her mind, she looked up to find Fitz giving her a knowing smile as he realized that she too was remembering that night in vivid detail.

"So I take it the timing of the conception makes sense to both of you?" she started slowly as she realized both were now blushing

Clearing his throat he only nodded his response. "So when is he or she due?"

"From my calculations, you should have yourselves a beautiful January baby" she smiled at both of them as she clasped her hands in front of her. "Well, I'm going to step out and give you two some time alone, I'm sure there is a lot to process. As always, please call me if you have any questions."

Walking around her desk, she extended her hand as they both stood up to say their goodbyes, "Mr. President, Mrs. Grant"

"Dr. Jameson, thank you for everything" he told her sincerely

"Of course, it's my pleasure. Mrs. Grant, my secretary will have your prenatal prescriptions ready for you before you leave. Congratulations to you both" she finished with a smile towards them as she headed to her office door and walked out.

Releasing a slow breath, Olivia held the side of the chair as she sat down again.

"Livvie? You okay?" he asked as he furrowed his eyebrows and stood up to lean against the office desk looking down at her

"Yeah, I'm just…wow. We're pregnant" she said in a still somewhat shocked tone as she looked up at him with a small smile. "So I guess that means all those mid-day quickies in my office worked"

"Well, we weren't exactly the poster children for safe sex sweetheart"

"Did we want to be?" she asked with a smirk as she stood up and placed her hands on his chest

"Guess not" he told her with a wink as he wrapped his arms around her. "Livvie, are you happy?"

Releasing a slow breath, she took a moment to gather her thoughts before looking up at him, "Am I scared? Yes, but I'm also really happy. I guess I just didn't realize how much I wanted this until Dr. Jameson confirmed that it was actually happening" she finished with a small smile as she placed a hand over her still flat stomach

"This little one is going to change our lives, quite possibly turn them completely upside down but I can't wait to see him or her running around the White House" he told her as he kissed her softly. "So now you know what this means" he started

"What?"

"No more insane scheduling and no more running yourself into the ground"

"But-"

"Olivia you need to rest, take it easy and most importantly take care of yourself. You're taking care of two people now, not just yourself"

"So does this mean that Jennifer should be expecting a call from you sometime soon asking her to completely clear my schedule?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him

"Baby, you can still do what you love to do, all I'm saying is that you can't get careless with your health due to maintaining an insanely busy schedule like you're used to. If that means spending more time at the White House with me while I read briefs and rub your feet then so be it" he finished with a shrug as she smiled at him

"Will you rub my feet and get me ice cream and pickles at all hours of the night?"

"Anything, whatever you want you simply name it and it's yours"

"And you won't get cranky when I'm too big to sleep properly and I'm tossing and turning?"

"I promise I won't get cranky and as a matter of fact, I'll do one better and stay up with you"

"You'd do that for me?" she asked as she looked at him with nothing but love in her eyes

"I'd do that and so much more for you sweetheart, you know that"

Wrapping her arms around his neck as she stepped between his legs, she puckered her lips at him and gave him a quick peck, "how'd I get so lucky?"

"I don't know, I was about to ask you the same thing" he finished as he kissed her once more.

_Baby number four was officially on its way…_


	9. Chapter 9

_**5 months later: **_

_It was a sight to behold how well Olivia had taken to being pregnant. It hadn't taken long after their doctor's appointment for news to break that the President and First Lady were expecting their first child together. Immediately switching into "Fixer" mode as the news of her pregnancy began to sink in, Olivia wasted no time in ensuring that her privacy and that of her family was protected during this very special time in their lives. Returning to the White House on that fateful day, Cyrus had instinctively known that something was up with both of them since they couldn't wipe the elated smiles from their faces. _

_Sitting down with him in his office, he'd been genuinely happy for both of them as he obviously thought of them both as more than just his President and First Lady – they were his friends. On the home front however, news of the pending presidential baby did nothing to help Cyrus' "Get-James-to-forget-about-this-crazy-baby-idea" plan but he realized that soon he'd have to make a decision one way or the other because he was quickly running out of patience and stall tactics. _

_Though everyone in the White House seemed to be thrilled for the expectant couple, not everyone shared in that joy. Although their divorce had been finalized for over a year and a half, once news of Olivia's pregnancy broke, it was still a tough pill for Mellie to swallow. Watching coverage of her ex-husband and his new wife hold a press briefing about their news, it wasn't lost on her how genuinely happy he looked. Not that he hadn't been happy when he'd learned they were expecting any of their other children but there was something that was different about this one. He seemed relaxed and something else that Mellie couldn't quite put her finger on, the closest she could come to describe it was that he looked "at peace" – something he never truly had when he'd been married to her. _

_She had since moved on but it still hurt to see him have with Olivia what she could never get from him or their marriage while she had him. Two of their children were now grown and able to make their own decisions as to what the relationship with each of their parents would be like and much to her initial dissatisfaction, Gerry and Karen had taken to Olivia much like Fitz had. Their interactions with her were always something that Mellie secretly envied as neither child really shared their deepest secrets with her like they seemed to do with Olivia. Taking Karen aside one evening during one of her short visits from boarding school, Mellie had flat out asked her albeit a bit irritated, "What is it about Olivia that has you, your brother and clearly your father so captivated?" Without a moment's hesitation Karen had replied, "She gets us and she gets dad. I've never seen him like that with anyone, not even you mom. She allows him to smile and be carefree and be that guy that Gerry and I grew up knowing and loving before he became 'the President'" _

_Knowing that the answer she provided wasn't the one that she'd been hoping to hear from her eldest daughter, Karen tried her best to reassure her still clearly heartbroken mother, "Look mom, I know the divorce from dad has been tough on you though you try your best to deny that it has been but just because Olivia is his new wife now, doesn't mean that Gerry, Teddy or I love you any less. Yes, we may not have the most close-knit relationship but seriously, what teenager really does at this point in their lives with their parents? We love you and dad but we also love Olivia, maybe not in the same way we love you as our parents but it's still love. She didn't shove her relationship with dad in our faces when everything was going down and she let us feel what we were feeling so she earned our respect before it developed into anything more. Believe me, I know it must be the worst feeling in the world to know that your ex-husband is now happily married to the woman that was essentially his mistress during your marriage and it wasn't easy for Gerry and I to come to terms with that either but at the end of the day, they truly do love each other and us mom. Can't you see that?"_

_With a resigned sigh, Mellie had to admit that their relationship and that of their children had drastically improved since they decided to end the awful charade that they'd tried for so long to keep up. Karen and Gerry no longer had to make up excuses to avoid visiting their parents in the White House so they wouldn't have to witness their parents miserable fighting and instead, they could now spend time with their parents as they knew them before the presidency took over. Olivia always welcomed an opportunity to spend time with her step children but at the same time respected that they also needed quality time with their father whom they didn't often get a chance to see. The one child they did see most often was Teddy and although he was only 2 years old, he clearly took after his father in his love and adoration of his "Ivvie." The "L" sound was still something that he was working on so whenever he was in the White House and any staffer heard the precocious 2-year old yelling "Ivvie!" as he ran down the hallways, they knew to page Olivia before he wandered off and it became a search party situation with everyone looking for the small toddler. _

_Though his beautiful wife was very much pregnant and showing, the President of the United States still had a very important job to do – be a husband, father and also run a country. Preparing to leave in a few days for South America, Fitz was trying his best to get ahead of however much work he could so that he and Olivia could spend a few quiet days up at Camp David upon his return. Working at his desk in the Oval, he was completely engrossed in his work that he didn't hear the soft knock followed by the slow opening of his office door. _

"Ivvie!" came the small but excited voice from the bottom of Fitz's desk

"Small child playing underneath your desk in the Oval – how very JFK of you" she said with a smile in her voice as she shut the door and walked over to where her husband sat chuckling to himself as he finished signing a document that lay on his desk

"What can I say, I'm trying to singlehandedly bring back the era of _Camelot _with a beautiful wife and a ridiculously cute kid" he told her with a wink as he bent down to grab the giggling toddler from underneath his desk and sat him down on his lap.

"Well it's incredibly endearing, you should put that as your book cover photograph when you release your memoirs once you're finished"

"Now there's an idea" he told her with a smile as he watched his son grab her face and pucker his lips to receive the hello kiss she offered him.

"Do I get one of those too?"

"He's so your son with that face grab"

"I know" he finished with a smile as he heard her soft laugh as she neared his lips

_Olivia was positively glowing with this pregnancy. Fitz didn't think she could get any more radiant but pregnancy quickly proved him wrong. Her curves, though always alluring were even more voluptuous as she filled out in all the right places. Her skin was aglow and her hair had become his latest obsession, calling for him to run his fingers through it every time he was alone with her. Hours of talking, cuddling, caressing and planning for their baby had taken the place of long late night hours spent in the Oval pouring over briefs and the latest national crisis. He cherished the time he spent with his wife learning about each new, unique craving and listening to her singing to their baby as she tried to get them to stop kicking so she could sleep for just a few hours. Dressed in a short sleeved gray and navy blue dress that cut just above the knee and accentuated her growing baby bump while flattering her voluptuous bosom, he contentedly sighed as he looked her up and down adoringly. _

"You look radiant, where are you off to?" he asked as he released Teddy to her with the small toddler wasting no time in making himself comfortable in her arms

Cradling the side of his face as she kissed his temple, she smiled when he leaned his head on her shoulder and entangled his fingers in her hair, which had now grown to be to the middle of her back

"I'm having lunch with Abby and Quinn, I haven't seen them in a while and I miss them. I figure it's about time they caught me up on the latest gossip and what's happening in their lives"

"Well tell them I say hello"

"I'm sure Abby will get a kick out of that especially considering that she's still mad at you for not inviting her up to Camp David" she told him trying to be serious as she felt him running his hand up the side of her thigh that was peeking out from underneath her dress

"Listen, a friend of yours is a friend of mine, you know that. She just has really horrible timing that she wants to go every time a national crisis erupts. Tell her to work on that and I'll see what I can do"

"I'll tell her but no promises"

"You're Olivia Pope, handle it"

"Pope-Grant, I worked hard for that name and don't you forget it" she told him as she leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss being careful to still hold Teddy securely to her

Standing up, he reached over for his little boy but quickly realized that there was someone more popular to him in his life.

"C'mon buddy, Olivia has to go have lunch with her friends"

"Ivvie, stay" he told her with his best pleading eyes as she gave him back to his father

Rubbing his back in an effort to allow her to walk away quickly with as little tears as possible she gave him a kiss on his forehead and promised to be back soon

Watching her walk away, they both waved at her as she opened the office door "love you both, I'll be back soon"

* * *

_Meeting Abby and Quinn an hour later, she smiled at fellow patrons that gave her their congratulations as the First Lady was led to an outside patio table. Lifting her sunglasses to the top of her head, she smiled and stood up when she saw her friends arrive. _

"Seriously, there has_ got_ to be a law or something against pregnant women looking as cute as you. Can't your husband and his cabinet people do something about that?" Abby told her good naturedly as she hugged her friend.

"I've missed you" Olivia told her releasing a chuckle over her shoulder

"You are absolutely glowing Liv" Quinn added with a smile as she hugged her and they all sat down for their lunch

_After catching her up on the latest OPA gossip including the fact that Harrison had become serious with a lady friend that Abby and Quinn were still scoping out and Quinn's still non-existent love life, conversation quickly turned to the presidential ex-wife. _

"So Mellie still has a stick up her ass, what else is new?" Abby noted sarcastically as she rolled her eyes and popped an olive from her martini in to her mouth

Quickly smacking her arm to shush her up, Quinn tried to be a bit more politically correct, "So then Mellie didn't take news of the baby well?"

"She certainly isn't planning my baby shower if that's what you're getting at. To say that she wasn't thrilled would be correct, to imply that she wasn't as congratulatory as other people in our lives would be an understatement" Olivia finished with a sigh as she sipped her iced tea.

"She's been divorced from Fitz for over a year and a half now, what the hell is that wench still waiting on to get the hell over it?"

"Abby, it's not that simple" Quinn tried to rationalize

"Listen, if you're too stupid or drunk with power to realize that your husband not only doesn't love you but is also in love with another woman, then I can't help you. That's all I'm saying"

"Abby look, I appreciate you always defending me but it isn't necessary. Though I thought that Mellie and I had reached an amicable point in our relationship, I understand that it couldn't have been easy to find out that I was pregnant. Divorced or not news like that always hurts"

"Damn Liv, this pregnancy has made you soft, what the hell happened to you?" Abby asked with a semi-shocked tone

"I'm not soft; I've just learned to choose my battles when it comes to Mellie, Fitz and this family. Our family is complex and often times not what the general public expects but we're us and that's all there is to it"

"Well then somebody needs to clue in the wicked bitch of the East because this was _bound _to happen. Does she not know how often you and Fitz have sex? Lord, you two are like teenagers" Abby finished with a smirk and an appreciative raise of her eyebrow to her good friend

Throwing her napkin at her in an effort to get her to lower her voice, Olivia blushed, "Listen, Mellie will be fine, she just needs some time and space to come to terms with this news and the rest, well it'll just have to work itself out. I have not the energy nor inclination to bend to her whims anymore so if she has anything else to say about the matter, she knows where to find me"

Starting a slow clap, Quinn and Olivia erupted into laughter as they watched Abby "There she is ladies and gentleman, the Olivia Pope we all know and love"

"Oh sit down Abby!" Quinn told her as she grabbed her arm and pulled her down into her seat as Abby laughed

"Do you _see _what you left us with?!"

_After a leisurely 2 ½ hour lunch with her friends, it was time for the First Lady to be heading back. Promising to not be a stranger and to come by and visit, they had made her vow that she'd bring her little one over to OPA so she could visit with her very eccentric aunts and uncles. Bidding each other farewell, they watched her climb into her car and pull away with the Secret Service following close behind her. Turning on her radio, she used the buttons on her steering wheel to flip through the channels until something caught her attention. _

"…_though the president is slated to visit the country within the next month, the news coming from that region today has certainly altered those plans. With war breaking out in the country after an incredibly contentious general election, many are urging for the president to go and hold peace talks with both political parties. This is certainly not welcome news as the president was set to depart for Camp David with the First Lady after his return from South America in a few days but it looks like those plans will now have to be put on hold so he can focus his attention on deescalating this new crisis in the Middle East." _

Releasing a soft sigh as she shook her head and rubbed her stomach, she smiled knowingly as the sound of her cell phone ringing was heard throughout the speakers in her car.

"Livvie –"

"I just heard, so when do you leave?"

**TBC**


	10. Chapter 10

_**A huge thank you to those of you who've been reading and replying it means a lot. Olivia, Fitz and co. in the White House, let the ride continue! **_

_**Here's the next chapter...**  
_

_Within hours of news breaking about the latest turmoil in the Middle East, Fitz and his presidential security detail had been en route to the region on Air Force One. Hating to leave so abruptly since it was his weekend with his youngest son, he'd called Mellie to let her know what was happening and for her to come pick up Teddy. The icy reception he and Olivia received from her hadn't surprised either of them and instead they decided to not give her any more attention than was absolutely necessary. Mellie would always be Mellie, whether they liked it or not and two years after the fact, they'd all but learned how to essentially ignore it all. _

_When he departed it was unclear how long he'd have to be away but given the tension in the region, at the very minimum it'd be at least six days. For her part, Olivia wasn't sure if it was her maternal instincts kicking into gear before she gave birth to their child but she was suddenly more acutely aware of the danger that faced her husband everyday as President of the United States. She'd begun to suggest that she go along with him once Teddy had been picked up but that idea was quickly shot down by Fitz, Cyrus and company when they reasoned that although she __**could **__fly, it probably wasn't the best idea to do so. She knew it was futile to argue with all of them when they had ganged up against her and agreed with each other so she'd agreed to disagree and stayed behind. _

_Now as she finished her nightly routine, she cradled the phone to her ear as she spoke to her husband. Whether it was the distance or the fact that he'd now been gone for five days, she truly did miss him rubbing her belly at night and holding her until she fell asleep. She quickly realized that now that they'd been married for a little over two years, it was truly the little things that made their marriage special and unique to them as a couple. From the way he played with her hair as she laid her head on his chest while he lay in bed and reviewed security briefs to the way she would always pop into his office in the middle of the day to check on him and see how things were going (and sneak in a few kisses while they were at it), it was these things that she missed when he was away. _

"How's the baby?"

"She's good, kicking up a storm since I'm still walking around and haven't crawled into bed yet"

"She?" he asked her with curiosity evident in his voice. Did she know something he didn't know?

"Yeah, I think she's a girl" she told him stifling a yawn as she crawled underneath the covers

"And you think this because?"

"My gut's telling me and you know what I always say…"

"I know, I know, your gut is never wrong" he finished for her with a smile in his voice. Stifling a yawn of his own, he was surprised when she picked up on it

"Are you tired?"

"Yeah, a bit, these trips always drain me considering how careful I need to be with everything I say and always keep top of mind that anything and everything can and will usually be misconstrued in the media"

"I've been watching coverage of the press conferences you've held so far and I think you've done a great job of staying neutral and not taking sides. I know that's been tough considering how tense things are with both parties but you can't let them force you into choosing a side. You know what that'll mean for future negotiations if anything else were to happen"

"I know but it's tough you know? Being here and seeing how their people are so torn over this and how they all just want a peaceful resolution to things. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like to raise our kids in an environment like this" he finished with a sigh

"Well that just goes to show, for however many issues we may be facing here, we're still pretty lucky to live in a democratic society where we don't need to fear for our lives and you as the president allow us to do that"

"Well, I don't know how much of that I actually do but thank you for the vote of confidence" he told her genuinely. There were few things that meant as much to him as knowing that she loved him unconditionally and supported him just as much as he did her. Knowing that she had his back no matter what went down with the presidency was all the confidence boost he needed on any given day.

Hearing her stifling yet another yawn, he knew she was fighting sleep just so she could speak to him "baby you're tired, go to sleep and we'll talk tomorrow"

"No, no, I'm okay, I'm just really comfortable on our bed and it's making me sleepy"

"How many hours of sleep did you get last night?" he asked not believing her for a second

"Mm, about 5-6, I don't really know. It took me a while to drift off; baby was having a disco party in there. I think she knew you weren't here"

"Well I'm trying to wrap things up here as quickly as I can so I can get back home. I miss you"

"I miss you too" she told him sadly. "God, we're acting like we just got married and we've never been apart before, what the hell happened to us?" she asked with a small chuckle

"We got married and became co-dependent" he deadpanned as she cracked up laughing

A few minutes later unable to stay awake any longer she regretfully let him go, "okay honey, I'm quickly losing this battle with sleep and baby has finally calmed down enough to let me get a few hours"

"Mmkay, sleep well sweetheart, we'll talk tomorrow"

"Love you" she told him already drifting off

_The next few days passed painfully slow as tensions in the region slowly but surely began to deescalate. Knowing that he couldn't stay there indefinitely, he and his advisors decided that it was best for him to leave and let the government leaders begin to make some important and pressing decisions themselves. Taking the opportunity to follow through on a plan he'd been crafting for months, he picked up the phone in his hotel suite and dialed a number _

"Mrs. Pope-Grant's office"

"Hi Jennifer, its Fitz, how are you?"

"Oh hello Mr. President, doing well and you?" came the slightly surprised voice from the other end

"I'm fine thank you, is Olivia around?"

"No sir but I can get her for you if –"

"No, no that won't be necessary. I'm actually calling to ask you for a favor"

"Of course sir, anything"

_Spelling out the details of what he was planning Jennifer took copious notes as she periodically checked the door to make sure that Olivia wasn't walking through. _

"And when do you need for all of this to be done by sir?"

"Please have everything ready by 6pm tonight and Tom will be on hand to handle the rest"

Jotting down the rest of her notes, she smiled on her end, "will there be anything else sir?"

"Yes actually, how is Olivia doing since I've been gone? Is she resting? Eating well?"

Knowing how much they both worried about each other, she found it endearing that he'd resorted to asking her about the First Lady's sleep and eating schedule since she realized that Olivia had probably been omitting a few things so as not to worry him

"She's doing beautifully sir. She's been getting about 5-6 hours of sleep when the baby stops kicking and lets her sleep and she's eating three square meals a day with snacks in between which I've been making sure she gets in her office" she told him with a smile in her voice knowing that the information would help him breathe a bit easier

"Perfect, so what's the craving of the week?" he asked with a smirk

"Raspberries and string cheese, I hear she's trying to go healthier"

"So I guess she got tired of fried pickles and ranch?"

"Guess so sir" she replied with a small chuckle

"Well then, we'll see how long this health kick goes for. Thanks so much for helping me with this Jen, I really appreciate it and remember, not a word of this to anyone"

"Of course not sir, I'll be ready to meet Tom at 6pm"

_With that he disconnected the call with a satisfied smile on his face. This would be the last thing Olivia would be expecting…_

**TBC**


	11. Chapter 11

**_This is more of a filler chapter, hope you enjoy! _**

_She'd found it a bit strange when Jennifer had informed her that all of her appointments had cancelled for the following week but she'd let it go because quite frankly, she welcomed the opportunity to rest a bit more and potentially catch up on mom-to-be activities like going baby furniture shopping. She hadn't heard from Fitz all day but she figured he was probably in flight on his way back to the states. Finishing a long, leisurely shower she smiled as she tied her robe around her expanding belly. It'd been quite the relaxing day having gotten a manicure and pedicure, gone for a massage and then finished by getting her hair done and grabbing a healthy lunch. Walking into her bedroom, she stretched out her neck as she removed the hair clip to let her long hair tumble around her shoulders. Smiling as the phone in the master bedroom began to ring, she quickly jogged over to it and answered it with a smile in her voice._

"Hey you, I was wondering when you were going to call"

"Oh um, Mrs. Grant, it's actually Jennifer, sorry to disappoint you"

Shaking her head a bit embarrassed, she cleared her throat, "Jennifer, no need to apologize, I wasn't expecting you to call me on this line. What can I do for you?"

"Well ma'am I was calling to let you know that in about 45 minutes Marine One will be landing on the South Lawn to pick you up"

"Pick me up? Where am I going?"

"To meet the president"

With a slight twinge of fear beginning to grip her, she asked the question before she could start making up worst case scenarios, "is Fitz okay?"

"Oh yes ma'am, no need to be alarmed, the president is just fine, he's just requested that you meet him"

"And where exactly am I meeting him?"

"I can't say ma'am"

"Okay, well then how long will I be away?"

"Four days ma'am"

Shaking her head as she walked to her vanity to apply her makeup, she let out a small laugh, "Four days, are you kidding? And I'm supposed to pack and be ready to go in 45 minutes?"

"Well ma'am you actually don't need to pack, I've already taken care of all of that for you" she told her quickly

"When did you –"

"At 5 o'clock earlier this afternoon"

"Okay" she finished slowly knowing that it would be impossible to get anything else out of Jennifer. This was one of the many traits she truly appreciated about her assistant, just not in this particular instance.

"Ma'am when you're ready to go, Tom will be waiting outside your door"

Smiling as she hatched a new plan to get some more information, she thanked Jennifer as she hung up the phone and walked over to open the door to their bedroom.

"Tom!" she told him catching him a bit off guard as he stood watch next to her bedroom door

Turning around to face her, he looked her up and down briefly to see if she was ready to go, "Ma'am, are you ready?"

"Tom, I'm in my robe and I just found out I'm going somewhere unknown so no, I'm not yet ready"

"Oh"

"But speaking of places unknown, where is your boss taking me?"

"I'm not at liberty to say ma'am"

"C'mon Tom, it's me you're talking to, where am I going?"

"I really can't say anything" he told her clasping his hands in front of him

"Tom – you owe me for ratting me out to Fitz when I got lightheaded during my run and I asked you not to say anything" she told him leveling her gaze at him. He truly hated when she turned all Olivia Pope on him.

"Um ma'am, believe me, if I could say anything I would but I really can't"

Nodding her head as she released an exasperated sigh, she folded her arms in front of her "you're good"

"Ma'am?"

"Breathe Tom, I'm going to go get ready so you can call Fitz and tell him you didn't tell me anything"

With an overly exaggerated smile in his direction, she walked back into the bedroom and closed the door.

Shaking his head as his cell phone rang, he truly wondered why the President and First Lady always put him in these situations.

_Leaning back in the lounge chair as he lowered his sunglasses from his head, he let out a small chuckle already hearing the sigh from the other end. _

"I can only guess"

"Sir, she should be ready to depart in about 30 minutes"

"Perfect, is everything else set to go?"

"Yes sir, I'll be with Mrs. Grant and Henry and Jennifer already coordinated the rest. Everything should be set to go by 8pm as requested"

"Thanks Tom, I'll see you guys soon"

* * *

_Leaning back in he_r _seat, she let out a relaxed sigh as she finally gave herself over to whatever it was that her husband was planning. From her suitcase being packed to everything running like clockwork, she knew that he had enlisted the help of very many people to pull this off. She had to give it to him though, when it came to surprises and romantic gestures, Fitz won by a landslide. They were never over the top or overly dramatic but always struck just the right tone for the occasion. Falling asleep, she hadn't realized that she'd been sleeping for so long until she was awaken 2 hours later when she felt the chopper begin to land. Looking out of her window she was met with nothing but palm trees and clear water. _

_Watching as her security detail quickly jumped out and began to carry her bags to the gorgeous house that lay in front of her, a huge smile broke out on her face when she saw her husband standing at the front door of the house wearing black pants and a white linen shirt with his aviators completing the look. Carefully stepping off the chopper she quickened her pace as they walked towards each other. Enveloping her in his arms the moment he reached her, he kissed her softly as if it were the first and last time he'd ever have the opportunity to do so. _

"Hi sweetheart"

"Mm, hi yourself, you are in _so _much trouble mister"

Releasing a soft chuckle as he nuzzled her neck, he bit her gently causing her to moan softly "I figured as much but c'mon, the surprise was worth it, no?"

"Yes, it was and hi, I've missed you" she told him grabbing his face and kissing him again

"You look beautiful" he told her as he stepped back to take her in for a moment. "Did you do something different with your hair?"

"Yeah, I got it highlighted, figured I needed an updated look for the summer" she replied running her fingers through her hair for emphasis

"I like it, it brings out your eyes" he told her with his special smile that was only for her

"Thank you so now really"

"Really what?"

"What's this major surprise that I can't know anything about?"

"Well this is part one" he told her pointing to the house behind him. "I figured I owed you a couple of stress-free days since we've been trying to get away for a while and something always seems to come up, you know, with me being the leader of the free world and everything" he finished as he kissed her forehead

"So does this mean I have you all to myself for 4 days?" she asked hopefully

"Four days, just you and me, no interruptions"

Biting her lower lip, she winked at him as she took his hand and led him towards their vacation house.

* * *

_Having finished their dinner that was served by the best celebrity chef in Florida, Olivia and Fitz extended their thanks and waved him and his team goodbye. Now finally alone after what seemed like years, he gently pulled her to him and slowly began to kiss her. Running her fingers through his hair, he moaned into her mouth as he began to walk her backwards to the living room where chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling cider awaited them. Pulling away from him, she licked her lips as she stepped away from him _

"Wait, where are you going?" he asked confused as he watched her walk away from him as she began to untie her dress

"I'll be right back honey, I'm going to go change into something more comfortable. Why don't you start the fire and get comfortable and I'll be back before you know it."

Releasing a soft sigh as he watched her walk away, he turned to the task at hand and got the fire started. Ten minutes later when she still wasn't back, he was about to call out for her when he turned and his mouth dropped open. Standing in front of him in a satin baby doll night gown, she truly took his breath away.

"Wow" he muttered under his breath as he extended a hand towards her

Shyly walking over to him as she placed a hand on her stomach, she smiled down at him when he got on his knees, placed his hands on her hips and kissed her belly. Cradling his head in her hands, she ran her fingers through his hair until he looked up at her

"Do you have any idea how much I love you?"

Nodding silently she lowered herself to the floor and brought his lips to hers "I love you too"

Sitting back against the sofa, he opened his legs and brought her towards him so she could sit in between them. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her temple, cheeks and neck and any other area his lips could reach. Watching her rubbing her belly he smiled down at her and intertwined his fingers with hers

"Is he kicking?"

"_She _is dancing in there. Give me your hand so you can feel" taking his hand, she moved it to the side of her belly so he could feel the small kicks that were coming through

Kissing her hair, he leaned his head against hers, "Wow, I never realized how crazy that feels to actually feel them kicking"

"You never felt Mellie's stomach when she was pregnant with the kids?"

Releasing a sorrowful sigh he shook his head "Mellie wasn't the most excited pregnant woman so to speak so babies kicking her at all hours of the night was more of an annoyance than anything else."

Rubbing her stomach in slow circular movements he continued, "I never really got to enjoy the pregnancies because she seemed to want them all to end the minute she found out she was pregnant"

Reaching up to caress the cheek that was closest to her she closed her eyes imagining how much Fitz must've wanted to enjoy this special time with his wife but being unable to do so due to differing views on parenthood and expectancy

"I'm so sorry Fitz, I wish you would've been able to enjoy that special time with her"

"It's okay" he started shrugging his shoulders, "I get to enjoy this time with you and that's what matters now. What's happened is now over and in the past so no use bringing all that back up"

"Is there anything else I can do to ensure that you feel like a part of this pregnancy?"

"No sweetheart, everything you're doing is exactly what I need. Watching the glow that you have and how happy you seem to be and going to doctor's appointments with you and getting to learn all of your weird, weekly cravings is all I need" he finished as both their bodies shook with her soft laughter

Turning around, she struggled a bit to readjust herself so she was able to straddle his lap, albeit a bit awkwardly

"Am I too heavy?" she asked him a bit worried

"No, you're perfect" he told her grabbing her face in his hands and kissing her lovingly for what seemed like hours

Wrapping her arms around him, she moaned into his mouth as she felt him lifting the back of her nightgown to caress her bare back. Moving his lips to her neck, she leaned over to give him better access and entangled her fingers in his hair

"Baby, look at me" he told her slightly amused when he pulled back and realized that she still had her eyes closed

"What?" she asked as she peppered his face with kisses

"As much as I love making out with you in front of the fire, I know you can't be comfortable out here so I propose we go to the bedroom, get comfortable in that amazingly huge bed that we have and I'll get the fireplace working in there"

Only nodding as she kissed his lips again, she got leverage by pushing off of his chest slightly so she could stand up. Walking a few steps, she turned around to find him smiling, "What? Am I waddling?"

"No, you're just amazing and I love seeing you pregnant" he told her with a wink, "go make yourself comfortable and I'll be there in a minute"

"One minute, I'll be counting" she told him as she walked the rest of the way to the bedroom and got settled.

Coming back to her a few minutes later, he saw that she was beginning to fade and fall asleep. Walking over to the bed, he crawled on top of her and began to kiss down her neck

"No, no, no, I'm not done with you yet"

Wrapping her arms around his midsection she kissed him before responding, "honey, I love you and I've missed you immensely but baby's been keeping me awake for the last few days and now that she knows that her daddy's back, she finally decided to sleep"

Rolling off of her, he slid in behind her and wrapped his arms around her "Okay, but tomorrow –"

"Tomorrow we can christen the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom and even the pool if you'd like, but tonight –"

"Tonight we sleep with baby"

Releasing a tired sigh she linked her fingers with his over her belly, "tonight, we sleep with baby"

And with that, he held his wife and his baby in his arms and fell into the most peaceful sleep he'd had in days.

**TBC**


	12. Chapter 12

Walking down the stairs of the lush condo they were staying in, a few mornings later, Olivia smiled as she walked towards the kitchen. She'd had every intention of sleeping in but the wafting smells of French toast and bacon quickly changed her mind for her. It was a little known secret that her husband was actually quite the accomplished cook in his own right, though he'd never admit to such a thing. Whenever the kids came over to visit he much preferred to leave the cooking to the White House staff and instead maximize the time with his kids. Hearing him humming to himself as he dusted powered sugar over his latest creation, she walked over towards him as she finished buttoning up his white shirt that she wore. Gently placing her hands on his back and running them down to encircle his waist, she knew she'd gotten his attention when his humming momentarily stopped.

He'd felt her belly on his lower back before he'd felt her hands on his abdomen and he couldn't help but smile at the thought that their child made their presence known wherever they were – a true Grant if ever he'd known one. Running her fingers through the back of his head and smiling at his soft groan, she happily accepted the kiss he leaned down to give her.

"Good morning, I thought you were sleeping in?" he asked her with a smirk as he turned back to the plate he was serving

"I would've, but your sneaky plan of cooking to seduce me out of bed quickly ruined those plans"

"You could always go back to bed and I'll just enjoy this amazing spread all by myself" he told her softly as he turned fully towards her and pulled her towards him by his shirt.

Running her hands up his arms as he nuzzled her cheek with his nose she told him, "your little one and mama are hungry so no going back to bed for us" she finished in a low voice as she neared his lips and felt him run his hands up the side of her thighs where his shirt stopped.

Brushing his lips over hers, he gently bit her bottom lip when he felt her pulling him closer by the drawstring on his silk pajama bottoms. "Kiss me already" she mumbled over his lips when he still wouldn't comply and kept teasing her. After the few days that they'd had, making love in every room in the condo plus the outside pool, he'd seemingly unleashed a newfound sexual beast in his very pregnant wife because she was now seemingly insatiable.

With a peck that quickly turned into a rather lengthy make out session in front of the stove as they savored each other and hands explored areas not covered by clothing, they pulled apart when they both felt a kick in between them. Smirking as she rubbed her stomach she looked over at him with a lazy smile, "I'm hungry"

"So am I" he replied in a low tone as he tried to lean in to resume their previous activity

"Fitz, look at me – "

"No, you started this so –" he continued as he peppered kisses down her neck and chest as he began to unbutton the shirt she wore which was riding a bit higher due to her protruding belly

"I know and I'm awful because I seem like the biggest tease ever but seriously honey, I'm really hungry and baby is kicking up a storm in protest" she finished with a pout as she looked over at the plated French toast that were now taunting her

Giving her a kiss on her forehead and leaning down to kiss her belly, he shook his head as he turned towards the plate. Watching her happily waddle over to sit on the island, he placed the plate in front of her and puckered his lips silently asking for a kiss

"I love you, I love you, I love you" she told him as she grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him

"Sure you do, you only love me for my cooking"

"That's not true, I love you for your cooking and a few other things that shall remain nameless" she finished with a wink in his direction as she popped a forkful of French toast into her mouth. Closing her eyes as she savored her food, she let out a contented sigh. Watching her in amusement, he leaned his chin on his hand as he leaned on the counter watching her.

"Good?"

"You have _no _idea. Want some?" she offered holding her fork out to him, which he gratefully took

"You're right, you _should _love me for my cooking" he told her amazed with his culinary skills as she giggled and watched him serve himself another plate.

They contentedly sat and enjoyed their breakfast knowing that in a few hours they'd be heading back to the harsh reality that was Washington D.C.

Returning to the White House, Olivia couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. Seeing her demeanor suddenly change, Fitz stepped in front of her as they walked down the hallway to stop her.

"Hey, what just happened?" he asked her concerned as he gently cradled the side of her face

Releasing a soft sigh, she leaned into his hand and gave him a sad smile "I just miss our happiness bubble where it was just you, me and the baby. Things get so crazy around here that I sometimes feel like I need us to be completely away from this place for us to feel normal.

"C'mere" he said as he pulled her towards him and held her. "I know it can get pretty intense around here but I promise you that I'm going to do my best to spend as much time with you and limit my trips as much as possible until the baby is born. I know it's not easy being First Lady let alone a pregnant one but you're doing an incredible job balancing everything: career, husband, First Lady duties and 3 ½ kids" he finished with a smile as he pulled back from her

"Who's the ½?" she asked as he ran a hand through her now long hair

"Junior, until he makes his appearance in a couple months then he'll be upgraded to 4" he told her with a small smile

Sighing as she leaned into him again and sunk into his chest, she ran her hands up and down his back as he did the same to her "Thank you for an incredible four days honey"

"Anything for you" he finished with a kiss on her lips. "What're you going to do now, take a nap?"

"No, I have some work I need to catch up on in my office so I'll be in there for a bit"

"Well, you know where I'll be"

Taking her face in his hands one last time, he kissed her before letting her go towards her office, "bye"

"Bye"

Going through the various messages that had been left for her during her absence, she didn't look up when she heard a knock on her door.

"Come in"

"Olivia" came the overly sweet voice and she instantly knew whom it belonged to "may I have a word?"

Looking up from her papers, Olivia stood up and forced a smile for her guest, "Mellie, what a surprise, what're you doing here?"

"I stopped by to drop Teddy off. I know it's not his scheduled visiting day but I figured with Fitz having been gone for the past couple of weeks for his business trip and then with you, that he'd want to see his son" she finished as she smoothed out her skirt and took a seat on Olivia's office couch.

_Her gut was telling her that Mellie had an ulterior motive but whatever it was, Olivia wasn't quite sure but she was determined to find out. She had been anticipating this showdown for a while now, ever since news leaked that she and Fitz were expecting. She was under no delusions that Mellie would have ever been happy for them but at the very least for the sake of their children and all parties involved she'd hoped she'd be civil. From snide remarks she'd hear through the grapevine to the way Jerry and Karen were visibly torn over being genuinely happy about the impending birth of their youngest sibling to feeling a sense of loyalty to their still heart-broken and embittered mother, it wasn't lost on Olivia how this dynamic was affecting all of the Grant children. She'd spoken to the oldest Grant kids and reassured them that their mother had a right to feel however she was feeling because it was never an easy situation to see their ex-husband move on but that they need not worry that it was affecting Olivia. She was strong and she could deal with Mellie. Fitz was an entirely different story. Though he didn't speak about it much she knew that Mellie's attempts at making their children choose sides was stressful on him and that he didn't want his kids entangled up in that. He'd wanted to have it out with Mellie on various occasions but each time was stopped by Olivia's rational voice when she reminded him that it would only serve to fuel her fire. If he was truly over her, which he clearly and obviously was, then her idle threats were just that – idle and not worthy of having anyone pay them any mind. _

_Now, the decision was Olivia's in whether or not she would settle the score once and for all. Though she advised her husband to back away from this fight, she was now personally taking it on for the sake of her family, namely her unborn child. She'd lived in the shadows of Mellie's ghost for far too long and now she was done. _

Taking a seat across from her husband's ex-wife, she leveled her eyes with hers as she addressed her, "Mellie, what's the real reason that you're here, because while I know that Fitz will always want to spend time with his children, I don't for a second believe that you brought him here out of the sheer kindness of your heart"

Lowering her voice a few octaves in her usual menacing manner, Mellie leaned forward towards her ex-husband's current wife "Fine Olivia, you want to play? I'll play. Whatever ill-fated delusions you have of taking my place in my children's eyes as their mother, you are gravely mistaken if I'm going to allow that to ever happen."

Furrowing her eyebrows at her, it took everything Olivia had for her not to smirk in her face "what in the hell are you talking about Mellie? I have never, nor _would I ever_, try to take your place as the children's mother. I, unlike you, understand the unspoken rules of boundaries and how to abide and live within them so whatever delusions _you _might have about what's really going on, I suggest you take those up with the appropriate parties because it's most certainly not me"

Giving her a glare she continued to stare at her opponent, "You truly do think you're the crown jewel don't you Olivia Pope? Fitz is like a little lap dog doing and saying whatever it is you want to hear just so he can keep his precious Olivia happy. As far as my philandering, cheating ex-husband is concerned, he can do whatever he pleases but my children, they're off limits."

Leaning in towards her, Olivia gave her a challenging smile, "What exactly is it that you're so afraid of Mellie, huh? Is it that your children might actually love me and think of me as an important person in their life or worst yet, that you're realizing and seeing with your own eyes that I've given Fitz what you never could?"

Narrowing her eyes at her, she replied in a steely tone "Screw you. Fitz and I were a team until you came along. He had a wife, children that loved him and a respectable name. Now all he has is the legacy that he was a philandering president who married his mistress, brought her into the White House and tarnished his reputation, all no thanks to you"

Standing up unable to take sitting down any longer, she looked down at Mellie with a defiant look in her eyes, "I would be very careful with how you proceed and what you say next Mellie. If you weren't the mother of Fitz's children I'd actually pity you but pity I reserve for people that actually _deserve_ it. You clearly still have some deep seeded issues that you need to work through so I suggest a good therapist for that, I have a few in mind if you need any recommendations" she told her sarcastically. "That being said, I will not allow you to come into _my _house and disrespect me or my husband. Whatever your children have or _have not _said about their relationship with me is none of my business but don't you dare for a second think that I'm going to back down from anything that is rightfully mine due to your idle threats."

"Don't you dare –"

"**Know your role **Mellie, because it sure as hell isn't as First Lady anymore. You had that and couldn't hold onto it or your husband and that's _your _problem."

Unable to come up with an adequate response, Mellie glared at her and stood up, "You couldn't get it on your own so you had to come after what was mine, don't you forget that" she finished as she started walking towards the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob and was about to exit when Olivia's next words stopped her cold in her tracks.

"Sorry to disappoint you but someone doesn't take something away unless its already looking for a way out. This is the _last _time I'll have this conversation with you now **get out** of my office."

Hearing the door slam after her exit, Olivia released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she walked over to her desk and was about to take a seat when a sharp pain hit her. Doubling over and gripping her stomach she managed to push the call button for her secretary.

"Jenny, call an ambulance, I think I'm going into labor"


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi Everyone! Thank you so much for the amazing reviews to the last chapter. The dynamic between Olivia, Mellie and Fitz is getting interesting with the pending addition to their family. When you are Olivia Pope-Grant, you have no shortage of people who will do anything to protect you. **

**On to the chapter...**

* * *

"Where is she?" came the angered voice of Abby Whelan as she stormed down the hospital hallway. Catching up to her and stepping in front of her to halt her movements, he placed his hands on her arms to try and reason with her.

"Abby, I know you're scared and worried about Liv and the baby but going ape shit on Mellie isn't going to help matters" he told her raising an eyebrow knowing exactly what she was thinking her next move would be

"Harrison, that _bitch _has been after Liv for **years **and now that she's finally married, happy and getting everything she's ever wanted she's going to lose it all because of some bitter, delusional wench?!" she told him widening her eyes at him in disbelief

"Abby-"

"No, no! You don't get to stand here and defend Satan's whore to me. She's spiteful, vindictive and never quite knew how to take a goddamn hint and now she's caused Liv, **our **Liv, to end up in the hospital. I've had just about enough of her bullshit and tantrums. She wants to play? Fine, I'm great with a bat, just ask my bastard ex-husband" she finished in a steely tone that sent shivers up Harrison's neck as she sidestepped him and began to walk down the hallway once more

"Fine, you want to go all Abby psycho, Huck 752 on her ass? Have at it, but take a moment to think of what Liv will say when she finds out because you _know _she's going to find out" he called after her in his trademark no-nonsense tone

Turning around, she met him with her trademark Abby smirk, "Sure she'll be pissed and want to kill me but she'll eventually get over it". Turning on her heel, she left him shaking his head as he took out his cell phone and dialed a number

"Get down here, we may have a problem"

Slapping his phone shut, he flipped it around in his hand as he adjusted his suit jacket and walked down the hallway after Abby.

* * *

_Time seemed to stand still as he sat in the back of the presidential limo being transported to James Madison. The fact that he was currently sitting in the back of his limo due to the unexpected and very much unwelcome news that Olivia had just been taken to the hospital for reasons as of yet unknown to him, put him on edge beyond any national crisis that he'd dealt with thus far. Not caring that his presidential motorcade was now causing something of a scene as it sped down the streets of D.C. in an effort to get to the hospital in record time, he could only think of the safety and well being of his wife and child as he silently wished he could teleport to their side. _

_He had more questions than he had answers and that bothered him more than anything else. They'd just returned from having an incredible mini-vacation and were seemingly in the throes of bliss upon their return to D.C. and now this happened. She seemed perfectly fine when he'd last seen her so he couldn't wrap his head around what might've happened to cause this latest turn of events. Whatever the cause or reason, he just prayed that she and their baby were okay and would hold on long enough for him to get there._

* * *

Opening the door with Quinn, Harrison and a very pissed off, red-faced Abby on his heels, Huck looked over at her as she turned to face her team with a reassuring smile.

"Olivia –"

Putting up a hand to stop the flurry of questions that she knew was coming, she looked between them all, "Everyone, I'm fine, just got a little worked up which caused me to have early Braxton Hicks contractions according to the doctor"

Walking over to her and leaning down to give her a hug, Quinn breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled back and looked at her former boss, "Are you sure you're okay? And the baby, is she okay?" she asked with concern laced in her voice

After the lunch that she, Quinn and Abby had had a couple of weeks before, she'd shared with them her suspicions on what she thought the sex of the baby was. With excited squeals and congratulatory hugs, Quinn had jokingly commented that she wasn't sure the world was ready for another Olivia Pope. "Well then it'd better get ready because she's coming" had been the reply.

"Yes, baby and I are both fine, thank goodness"

Releasing a collective sigh of relief Harrison, Abby and Huck passed a look between themselves which wasn't missed by Olivia

"What? What's that look for?"

"What look?" Harrison countered defensively

"Harrison, I know you all well enough to know that there's something you're not telling me. What is it?"

Walking towards her hospital bed, Huck looked down as he addressed her unwilling to look her in the eyes as he spoke, "Liv, I can take care of this for you. I can make sure she doesn't ever bother you or your family again"

The manner in which he spoke those words sent a shiver down her spine which she couldn't mask. Turning to fully face him she suddenly became angry.

"Huck – "

Not looking up at her when she called his name the first time she tried again, more forcefully the second time around, "Huck! Look at me"

"I'm listening"

"You are _not _to lay a finger on her do you understand me? She is the mother of Fitz's children for Christ's sake and whether or not I like it isn't the point. You _cannot _harm her, do you understand me?"

Not getting a response she tried again, "Huck! Do you understand me?"

Finally drawing his eyes up to look at her, he nodded slowly "I understand"

Releasing a slow, shaky breath she closed her eyes briefly before she turned to look at Abby who seemed to have steam coming from her ears as she tried to keep her mouth shut

"What Abby?" she asked her already knowing the fury that was about to erupt

"Liv, are you _fucking _kidding me? Why in the **hell **wouldn't you want that vengeful bitch taken out? Huck's great at what he does, he could make it look like an accident and no one would ever know"

Raising his eyebrows as he looked down and shook his head, Harrison didn't even know where to begin with the direction that this conversation had suddenly taken.

Signaling for Quinn to shut her hospital room door, Olivia lowered her voice to address the group "Listen to me, **no one **is going to do anything to Mellie, does everyone understand me? She's the mother of my husband's children and as First Lady I will not have a murder hanging over my head. We just finished picking up the pieces from the Defiance fiasco, I **will not **have you guys front and center in another self-made scandal"

"Liv, she put you in the hospital! What the hell is wrong with you that you can't see that!" Abby screamed at her

"Abby, I'm as much at fault for me being here as she is. I let her get to me and got all worked up and I knew better. But _hurting _her-" she said in a stage whisper, "is taking it too far"

"Fine, but don't think the next time I see her I won't rip her a new asshole for being the bitch that she is" Abby said rolling her eyes in Olivia's direction when she'd finally had enough that her former boss refused to listen to reason

Turning to face the door as it flew open, they all came face to face with the President of the United States and Olivia's very concerned husband. Turning back to face Olivia who was now sporting an unreadable expression, Quinn and Harrison silently nodded at Fitz as they prepared to leave the room.

Keeping his eyes on his wife and quickly glancing down to see that she was still in fact very much pregnant, he turned to face Abby when she began speaking to him

"You know, you really need to work on being a better judge of character –"

"Abby!" called Harrison getting her attention from the doorframe and cutting her off to stop her from saying whatever atrocity she was about to tell the president.

Rolling her eyes again, she turned and walked out of the room. Giving a knowing glance to Huck once more, he silently nodded at Olivia and left the room.

* * *

With the room cleared, he finally breathed the sigh of relief he'd wanted to release for the past 30 minutes when he'd first heard she was in the hospital. Walking over to her, he leaned down and kissed her forehead as he laid a gentle hand over her stomach. Cradling the side of his face, she leaned up to kiss him softly.

"We're okay"

"What the hell happened?" he asked her as he pulled back just in time to see Dr. Jameson walk in to her room

"I can actually answer that question if you'd like" she told them as she walked over to Olivia's bedside and checked the fetal monitor

Turning to face them both she explained what happened, "Mrs. Grant experienced what we call Braxton Hicks contractions. They're not uncommon for women in their third trimester and are often times what women experience as being false labor. Being that you're about 2 months away from your due date, consider this as practice if you will" she finished with a smile towards them

"So they're okay then?" Fitz asked the doctor as he intertwined his hand with Olivia's

"Yes Mr. President, your wife and child are perfectly okay. We hooked her up to a fetal monitor to ensure the little one was okay, checked Mrs. Grant's blood pressure and ran some precautionary tests on her and everything came back as it should be"

Releasing a relieved sigh, he leaned down and softly kissed his wife. Leaning his forehead against hers for a moment, he kissed her cheek softly before looking back up at Dr. Jameson.

Furrowing his eyebrows, he asked the question that had been bothering him since he heard the news of what happened, "I get that this is fairly common but Olivia was perfectly fine when we returned home. How did this happen out of nowhere?"

Looking down at her hands to avoid her husband's gaze, it didn't go unnoticed what she tried to do. Ignoring it for the time being, he focused his attention on Dr. Jameson

"Well sir, it's no secret that Mrs. Grant keeps a very active and often times hectic schedule so any number of things could've caused this. Suddenly elevated stress levels have also been known to cause this to happen for some women."

"So what can we do to ensure these don't happen again?" he asked as he pointedly looked down at his wife who was playing with an imaginary thread on her hospital gown.

"First and foremost you'll need to ensure that you drink plenty of fluids and get adequate rest. I know it's a bit difficult now as you near the end of your pregnancy and its getting a bit cramped in there for your baby, but you need to try. Getting run down and dehydrated is never where you want to be."

Placing a comforting hand on Olivia's shoulder, she looked at her as she spoke her next words, "You also need to avoid any and all kinds of unnecessary stress. If there's something that someone else can do for you, make sure you delegate. I don't want to see you back here because you've gone into pre-term labor and we're talking about a much more serious situation. Is that understood?"

Smiling softly over at her doctor, she nodded once and told her "Understood"

"If you need me for anything you can have one of the nurse's page me but again, you can both breathe a sigh of relief, everyone is perfectly fine and healthy"

Walking towards the door, she turned back when Fitz spoke, "thank you for everything and for taking care of Olivia and our baby"

"It's my pleasure Mr. President" she replied as she smiled and left the room.

* * *

Slowly walking to the chair that sat in the corner of the room, he removed his jacket and ran a tired hand through his hair.

"Fitz, I am _fine" _

Turning around to face her, he had an unreadable expression on his face "Are you? What happened after you went to your office Olivia?"

"Nothing happened, I checked my messages when I suddenly felt a sharp pain and called Jennifer for help" she told him tiredly as she leaned her head back on her pillow

Shaking his head as he paced the room, he didn't look at her when he spoke his next words, "Why don't I believe you?"

Closing her eyes, she was in no mood to argue let alone get into a screaming match with him, "I don't know Fitz, why don't you believe half the things I say whenever you're dead set on it being another way?" she asked sarcastically

"Olivia don't-"

"Fitz, I'm tired" she started cutting him off. "I know you were worried and scared and I'm sorry that I did that to you but I am fine"

Still not looking at her, he looked up at the ceiling as he released a breath, "Fine, I'll stop hovering"

"Thank you"

"I'm going to go and check when you can be released, I'll be back in a bit"

"Okay, we'll be here" she told him but he'd already left the room.

* * *

Rounding the corner, he took out his cell phone and dialed the number of the one person he knew would give it to him straight about what had _really _happened with Olivia, who for some unknown reason, was unwilling to share with him.

"What?"

"Do all of you answer the phone that way? It's Fitz" came the serious tone to the other person on the line, "what happened with Liv?"

"I don't know what you're talking about"

"Huck, l know that you still keep an eye on Liv even though she has a full Secret Service security detail. Olivia won't tell me what happened so I need for you to tell me"

"I don't divulge Olivia's secrets –"

"Huck! This is my _wife _we're talking about. I love her just as much as you all do and I need to know what happened so I know what I'm up against. I'm going to ask you one more time, **what happened**?"

"Mellie. She's the one who put Olivia in the hospital"

Slamming his phone shut, he knew what he had to do.

**TBC**


	14. Chapter 14

_The past few hours seemed like a whirlwind to him. Fear, concern, anxiety, anger and resolve all seemed to grip him at once. Although he knew that he needed to be with his wife and child, there was still another very pressing matter that he needed to handle before he could even begin to deal with the very real conversation that he needed to have with Olivia. After this latest incident, he'd had just about enough of her keeping things from him that directly or indirectly affected the both of them. He knew she'd never stop being a fixer and would always try in her own, sometimes twisted way, to protect him and his feelings but he needed her to get on the same page with him moving forward. It was enough that he had an entire country and millions of constituents to worry about on a daily basis, he didn't need to unnecessarily worry about the home front as well._

_Quickly walking down the White House corridor, he released a slow breath when he saw a breathless Cyrus walking towards him. _

"Mr. President –"

"Cyrus, isn't it too early for you to be so riled up and out of breath? It's only 8 o'clock"

Running a hand through his hair as he followed Fitz into the Oval, he released a breath as he looked at his Commander in Chief, "sir, I'm fine, it's you that I'm worried about"

"Me? Why are you worried about me I'm perfectly fine"

Walking to the front of his desk as he looked at Fitz who quickly busied himself with the papers on his desk, he leaned on the desk to emphasize his point, "sir, if you don't mind my saying so, you are ticking. I know that the incident with Liv, although not life threatening, has had you on edge for the past couple of days and it's no secret that you don't do well when you're worrying about things that you believe should be within your control but are not."

Releasing a sigh as he leaned back in his chair and looked up at his Chief of Staff, he put his pen down and addressed him, "Cyrus, I am not _ticking. _Olivia and the baby, thankfully are fine so I'm okay so long as they're both okay. Was I scared, worried, concerned? Of course I was. What kind of husband and father would I be if I wasn't?" he asked him incredulously.

Looking at him with a dubious raise of the eyebrow, he stepped back and slowly nodded, "Of course sir. Well then, if you say you're okay, then I trust that you know yourself best and that you are _in fact _okay. That being settled, is there anything I can do for you sir?"

Contemplating his question for a moment, he stood up with fire suddenly burning in his eyes, "as a matter of fact there is. Call Mellie and tell her to meet me here within the next half hour. I need to speak with her."

"Is everything okay sir"

"It will be" he finished without any more explanations as he watched Cyrus dutifully nod and leave the Oval.

* * *

Walking into her hospital room with a bouquet of flowers behind his back, she smiled warmly at him when she heard him slowly opening the door.

"There they are" he told her happily revealing the flowers he hid behind his back

Walking over to her, he leaned down and gave her a kiss on her cheek as he laid the flowers on her lap, "how're you feeling?"

"Oh Harrison they're beautiful, thank you" she told him sincerely as she leaned up to hug him.

"Want me to put those in some water for you?"

"Yes please, there should be a vase over there on that table by the restroom" she told him as she pointed in the direction she was referring to.

Taking the flowers from her once more, he walked over to find the vase and addressed her as he did, "So?"

"So, what?"

"So how are you feeling but more importantly, how's Fitz handling all of this?"

Releasing a sigh, she leaned her head back on her pillow and realized for the first time that she didn't truly know how Fitz felt about this whole thing. They'd barely spoken more than a few words to each other after he'd grilled her for what had really happened and she'd refused to tell him the truth. He'd come to check on her every day since she'd been admitted to the hospital but with the tight Secret Service security detail he'd put on her, it was a miracle that he, let alone anyone else, could get through to come and visit her.

"I don't really know actually. We haven't really spoken more than a few words to each other since all of this happened so to say he's probably pissed would be an understatement"

Nodding as he brought the flowers over to her bedside table, she smiled when she saw the artistry that had become her floral bouquet, "wow, you're really good at that!"

"Yeah well you know, the ladies seem to enjoy a gentleman who knows how to take care of them and their special flowers, if you know what I mean" he finished with a wink as he licked his lips.

"Lord, how are you still single?"

"I'm too much to handle Liv, you know that" he told her with a shrug of his shoulders as he pulled a chair over to sit next to her.

"Now, as much as I love this small talk we're engaging in, you're stalling and I know you only do that when you're planning your next move. What's going on in that little head of yours Liv?"

Closing her eyes briefly, she played with the hem of her nightgown, "I just don't know how to toe the line between being the dutiful wife that I feel I need to be and still maintaining that very real part of me that protects those around me at all costs even if those very same people may not always agree with my actions."

"Why do you feel those need to be mutually exclusive? You're Olivia Pope and you also happen to be the First Lady of the United States. Who in the hell said you still can't be who you were before you got married? That's who and what Fitz fell head over heels in love with. That dynamic, seemingly unstoppable woman that you were and still are" he told her as he leaned forward

"Then why do I feel like those two identities are now in conflict and they're affecting my marriage?" she told him honestly revealing something to him that she hadn't ever told anyone else.

"Affecting your marriage? How?"

"Well let's see, there was the whole me campaigning for Mellie thing and now the whole me and Mellie arguing which led to me and the baby ending up in the hospital thing so yeah, there's a few things that he has a right to be pissed off about"

"Um, well excuse me for pointing out the obvious but all of your marital problems seem to revolve around Mellie, his ex-wife. Why? Since when does Olivia Pope bow down to ex-wives and manipulators?"

"Since I became his wife and realized that in order for him to have as calm a second term as possible, the best thing that I can do is maintain the peace on the home front"

"Even if that means putting your life and that of your baby's at risk?" he asked confused

"That part I didn't anticipate" she told him lowly as she closed her eyes once more

Releasing a sigh as he shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, he was trying to understand where she was coming from.

"Look Liv, I've known you for a really long time and this just isn't like you and it makes no sense. What's the real reason you're suddenly letting Mellie, of all freaking people, run all over you like you're her lap dog?"

"Because a part of me still feels immense guilt for the way that things went down between Fitz and I and how we eventually got together. Was she awful and all kinds of cruel and vindictive? Yes, but I also had a huge stake in that sentiment of hers because let's face it, her husband fell in love with _me._"

"Did you just hear yourself? Her husband fell in love with _you._ You didn't force his hand Liv nor did you come in and destroy something that wasn't already irretrievably broken. Do I get why you feel a sense of guilt? Yes, but at the same time, that man is head over heels in love with you and has been since the day he laid eyes on you. Now take it from me, as a man who's still trying to find his own fairytale princess, that man has found his in you. He would and _has _moved heaven and earth to be with you. If his ex-wife can't see that they had nothing more than duty and loyalty to a loveless marriage between them than that's frankly not a problem for you to solve. You are his _wife _and his _partner _and as such that means being a team with _him and not with her. _We both know how it turned out the last time you went up against him and teamed up with Mellie."

"Don't remind me"

"Then get your stubborn head out of your ass and be honest with him!"

Looking at him a bit surprised at his sudden outburst at her, she smiled softly at him when she saw him blush, "I'm sorry, I was trying to channel Abby for a moment there"

"Well it worked, that sounded very much like the ass kicking she would've given me"

"Seriously though, you need to let Mellie stop ruining your lives because that woman would love nothing more than to see the two of you unhappy and miserable just like she and Fitz were for all those years. Don't let her ruin the best things in your life."

"I know you're right and God do I hate it when other people are right" she told him with a good-natured roll of her eyes

"You're about to be a mommy Liv, what could be more exciting than that?" he told her warmly as he placed a hand over hers on her stomach

"Lord help this poor child. Between Fitz's overprotectiveness and my insane need to handle and fix everything, she'll be lucky if she has her first kiss by the time she's 40"

"Ouch, wouldn't want to be that Grant kid" he told her with a grimace as he envisioned a life without dating and all the things that came along with it.

* * *

Briskly walking towards the Oval, she had a noticeable pep in her step as she addressed her ex-husband's secretary.

"Ms. Hanley, how lovely to see you again" she told her in her trademark overly cheering manner

"Mrs. Grant, the president is expecting you, please go right in"

Taking a deep breath before she opened the door, she was clearly excited for the impromptu call to the White House and demonstrated as much as she walked towards him.

"It's such a pleasant surprise to be summoned to the White House" she started before she noticed the look on Fitz's face.

"Sit down Mellie" he told her seriously as he stood up from his desk and walked towards the couch in his office.

"Is everything alright Fitzgerald?" she asked become concerned as she took a seat across from him.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves as he looked at her, he was trying his level best to remain calm and simply say what he needed to. He didn't need his White House staffers coming in to break up a screaming match between him and his ex-wife, nor did he need her running to the nearest television station selling their latest ex-marital drama.

"You may be a lot of things Mellie but stupid is certainly not one of them. Do me a favor and quit sitting there pretending like you have no idea why I called you to the White House. You never were a very convincing actress"

Leveling her gaze with him she'd had enough of this charade and was now becoming irritated, "What do you want Fitzgerald? Say what you need to say or stop wasting my time. After all, I have our _children _to go take care of."

"Oh please, enough of the sanctimonious crap!" he bellowed at her as he stood up and walked around the couch. "Jerry and Karen are at boarding school for another three weeks and Teddy is primarily raised and taken care of by his live in nanny when he's with you during your visitation schedule."

"What do you want Fitzgerald? Did you call me to the White House to once more berate my mothering skills or lack thereof as you so viciously always like to point out or did you have something important you actually wanted to ask me? I'm a very busy woman so I have no time to play these games with you" she finished as she stood toe-to-toe with him.

"Shut up and listen to me _very _carefully Mellie because I'm only going to say this once. Stay the hell away from my _wife _do you understand me?"

Releasing a smirk as she looked at him, she looked down for a beat before she addressed him, "You are so whipped by that woman. What did your precious Olivia tell you I did to her now?"

"She didn't tell me anything, in fact, she tried to protect your sorry ass and lied to me about what really happened between you and her in the office the other day when you dropped Teddy off"

"If you're accusing me of something Fitz I suggest you come right out and say it –"

"You threatening Liv sent her to the hospital with early contractions. She could've lost the baby, _our _baby."

Stepping away from him she walked around the Oval as she spoke, "Fitz, I –"

"No, I don't want to hear your excuses Mellie. For long enough I have let you meddle into my marriage because I somehow felt like I owed you something for the way I hurt you when our marriage ended the way that it did but I'm done. I'm done making excuses and allowances for you and I'm done letting you come between me and Olivia. The only place you have in my life any more is as the mother of my children. Unless it has something to do with them or their well-being I want _nothing _to do with you."

"You don't seriously-"

"Mean that? Oh yes, I do, believe me. You and I are through and whatever was left between us in terms of respect, loyalty or anything else, you made sure to completely destroy that with your latest antics. When you put the life of my wife and unborn child at risk because of some unresolved business you_ think_ you still have with us, that's when I draw the line and cut you off completely."

Narrowing her eyes at him she stepped closer and addressed him, "Fine Fitz, if that's what you want then we'll play it your way but believe me, those marital problems that you speak of, I'm sure I'm not the sole cause for those. If you and your precious Olivia are having issues then I suggest you stop looking for an outside culprit and start asking yourself why the woman on your highest pedestal keeps lying to you" she told him with her trademark Mellie smirk as she turned to walk towards the door.

"Come anywhere near Olivia or our baby and I swear to you Mellie, you'll regret the day you met me" he told her in a steely tone that caused her to stop in her tracks for a moment before she turned to give him one last glare and walked out the door.

* * *

**Hmm, things are getting interesting between Olivia, Fitz and the ever present Mellie. Now that Fitz has put his ex-wife in her place do you think Olivia will finally fess up? Let me know your thoughts in your reviews!**

**xoxo**


	15. Chapter 15

**2 chapters in 2 days? I'm totally spoiling you! : ) Thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback and insight on the last chapter. I want to say a special thank you to Justafan51 for inspiring some of the dialogue in this chapter. **

**-Bennell **

* * *

_A completely cleared schedule was something that she wasn't used to and she didn't like it one bit. Per her husband's very strict orders to hospital staff, she'd remained in the hospital for the past three days for observation and she was now officially sick and tired of being cooped up with nothing to do. Though she had her fair share of visitors, all she really wanted was to go home and be with her husband and relish the last few weeks of her pregnancy. Before any of that could happen however, she knew there was quite the serious (and potentially long overdue) conversation that she needed to have with Fitz. Once and for all they needed to get off this merry go round._

Walking down the hospital corridor towards her room, he nodded at the Secret Service agents standing guard by her door.

"Anyone been by today?"

"Just Mr. Wright a couple of hours ago and no one since then sir" replied Henry when his boss addressed him

"Good, well we should be leaving here tonight so check in with Tom and make sure everything's ready to go once Liv is discharged"

"Very well sir" came the reply as he watched his boss enter his wife's hospital room.

Quietly closing the door behind him as he entered the room so as not to wake her, he slowly walked over to the chair pulled up to her bedside and removed his jacket. Hearing the rumbling beside her she stirred and opened her eyes to see her husband.

"Hi"

"Hi, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you"

"No, no, I wasn't actually sleeping, just resting for a bit. How are you?" she asked taking in his appearance for the first time. He looked tired and worn down and she felt more than partly to blame for that.

Sighing as he took her face in his hands and laid a soft kiss on her forehead, he leaned back and gave her a soft smile, "I'm okay, don't worry about me"

"Don't worry? Of course I worry about you" she told him seriously as she watched him raise an eyebrow at her. "What? What's that look for?"

"Nothing" he started as he took a seat next to her, "I just seem to recall a very similar conversation where you told me not to worry about you as if it'd be so easy for me _not _to."

"Pot meet kettle, huh?" she told him with a smirk as she looked down at her hands

"So" he started slowly waiting for her to take the lead on what was about to happen

"So, I think there are a few things that you and I need to talk about" she started as she turned to face him and took his hand in hers. Only receiving a slow nod in return from him, she knew that she simply needed to bite the bullet and get on with it. It wasn't fair to ask him to start a conversation that had become necessary because of _her_ actions.

"I know that I haven't been completely honest with you about a few things over the past couple of weeks and I'm sorry about that. You deserve more than what I've been giving you and I want you to know that I recognize that and I want to make things right with you."

"Why haven't you been honest with me? I thought we'd already hashed all of this out?" he stated tiredly as he loosened his tie

"We did, we had, I just I don't know what's gotten in to me lately"

Furrowing his eyebrows he told her, "I can take a few guesses as to what but I prefer you tell me instead."

"You're upset"

Releasing a frustrated sigh he stood up from the chair and began to pace the room in front of her bed, "I'm not upset Olivia, I just want to understand, once and for all what it is that I have to do to get you on the same page with me. We have a disagreement, we talk it out, I believe we're there and then something else happens that completely blindsides me and I'm left wondering what the hell happened"

"You're right and you have every right to be feeling whatever it is you're currently feeling"

"I wasn't asking for your permission but thank you anyway" he told her sarcastically

"Fitz please, can we not do that to each other?" she pleaded softly

Sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose he immediately felt awful for having snapped at her, "I'm sorry, I'm just-"

"I know, you're worried and you feel like you should have all of this under control and you're frustrated and out of sorts because you don't. I know you remember?"

"Yeah, you do"

"C'mere" she told him softly holding out her hand for him. Silently walking over and taking it in his own hand, he sat down on the bed with her when she scooted over to give him room.

"I didn't tell you the truth about what really happened that caused me to end up in here with early contractions because I was afraid of what you might do if you knew the truth."

He didn't say anything and instead allowed her to continue. "Mellie stopped by my office the day she came by the White House to drop off Teddy after you and I returned from Florida. I knew that she had an ulterior motive the minute she walked in the door but by that point I was just tired of her passive-aggressive behavior that I let myself engage with her and we ended up having an argument."

"What about?" he asked looking down at their joined hands

"The kids mostly and how she's upset that she believes I'm taking her place in their lives. Of course I told her that she was crazy for even thinking such a thing and that my relationship with all of your kids"

"_Our _kids" he firmly corrected

"_Our _kids was unique in its own way but I allowed it to escalate more than it should have"

"Why?"

"Because it was the last time I wanted to ever have that conversation with her. She and I, though I thought we were now being cordial with each other, have seemingly regressed to where we stood with each other before you and I got married and I'm tired of it. I wasn't expecting her to roll out the red carpet when she found out we were expecting but at the very least I would've hoped she would've understood her place and moved on and stopped being so bitter about everything."

"This is Mellie you're talking about, you do realize that right?"

"Yes I know and I know that I shouldn't have let her get to me but I needed to put her in her place once and for all. Now if that upsets you because I know that you and she have a –"

"We have nothing" he told her firmly effectively silencing her protest. "Look Liv, this has to stop. We can't keep going in circles about the same issues over and over again and you need to stop making our marital problems be about Mellie. You're either in this or you're out, I just need to know which one is it?"

Becoming instantly upset, she gave him a look that he couldn't read, "I'm sorry, are you giving me an ultimatum?" she asked as she pulled her hand away from his.

"Calm down and no, I'm not. I'm just asking you what do** you** want? Do you want to be in this 100% with me or don't you because from what you've been doing lately, I'm beginning to wonder if we're ever going to get to a place where she's not meddling in our lives or getting in your head making you doubt and second guess everything you already know to be true"

Releasing a breath that she hadn't realized she was holding until he clarified, she looked at him with relief evident in her eyes, "Of course I'm in this with you 100%, I'm just having a difficult time adjusting from being 'the other woman' to being your wife" she told him honestly and for the first time since these issues began with them, he understood why she'd been doubting herself so much.

"First of all, you were never the _other _woman, you were always _the _woman in my life even before you came around to realizing that and second, if this has been the real reason why you've been doubting yourself and us so much, why didn't you bring this up sooner? We could've saved ourselves a couple arguments"

"Because I'm Olivia Pope dammit! I keep things close to my chest to protect myself and those around me that I care about and I didn't think it necessary to worry you with these things"

"And do you realize how twisted that is? How that led to us solving absolutely _nothing_?" he told her incredulously trying really hard to understand her logic. "We're _married_, so your problems, whether you like it or not become my problems"

"Yes I know it's twisted and yes I've seen the error of my ways thanks to Harrison" she muttered softly

"So then what? Where do you and I go from here because I tell you what, I'd really like to get my fearless, kick ass wife back"

"We go forward and I resolve to be 100% honest with you and you keep calling me on my bullshit when you see it. I won't second guess you, us or more importantly myself, and we continue figuring out this whole marriage thing"

"That easy huh?"

"Well I'm a fixer, what else do you want from me?" she asked confused

"I want you to tell me _everything_ and I don't just mean about Mellie because I already knew that part" he finally confessed

"Knew that? How?"

"You have your people and I have mine" he told her cryptically

"That could not be vaguer if you tried. Let me guess, Abby?"

"No, it was Huck actually" he told her with a smirk as he took in her surprised expression

"Huck?"

"Let's just say he and I both share a woman who's very important in our lives. He and I came to a mutual understanding and after that it wasn't too hard to get the truth out of him"

"So then if you knew already why'd you make me tell you? To see me squirm?"

"No, I wanted you to be honest and I wanted to see if you'd tell me the whole truth this time. Plus, you only squirm when I'm doing certain things, none of which I've done here tonight so…" he trailed off with a wink in her direction.

"So besides the debacle with Mellie, which by the way I didn't think would lead to me ending up in the hospital, what else is there for me to tell you?"

"I don't know" he said shrugging his shoulders, "only you know what else you've kept from me, which even Tom hasn't told me about so now think of this as your confessionary period. No judgment, just simple honesty. Go"

Furrowing her eyebrows as she took a deep breath and looked forward, she began rattling off everything she could think of that she'd kept from him in the past few weeks.

"Well, I effectively talked Abby and Huck out of potentially hurting Mellie for putting me in here" she started and noticed the look of surprise on his face, "don't worry, they were just upset and being protective but they know better than to lay a finger on her so calm down, she's fine" she told him with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"I've realized that I no longer enjoy Rocky Road ice cream so when you've been away I've had Tom sneak out and get me Mint Chocolate Chip instead" she told him ticking another thing off on her hand where she was keeping count.

"Liv – "

"No wait, you wanted complete honesty so that's what I'm giving you, I have a few other things to get off my chest so hold on"

Shaking his head at her with an amused smile he allowed her to continue, "I haven't been sleeping the full 6 hours like I told you I had been. I've been sleeping about four and I only told you six so you wouldn't worry while you were away"

"Okay"

"And umm…" she trailed off as she thought hard about what else she could be missing, "I think that's it"

"You sure?" he asked running his hand through her hair as he smiled at her

"Yes I'm sure and I promise, cross my heart that there isn't anything else, I swear"

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?"

"No, but can we promise each other one thing?"

"Anything"

"Let's never have this ridiculous, circular, never ending conversation again?" she told him as she smiled into the kiss he leaned down to give her.

"Deal"

* * *

Signing the last set of hospital discharge papers, she smiled at the hospital staff and thanked them for their attention during her stay as she took a seat in the wheel chair that Tom pulled around for her.

Gripping the handles, he smiled down at the First Lady as he wheeled her out to the waiting presidential limo that was parked in the hospital's underground parking to avoid the media frenzy.

"Good to have you back Mrs. G"

"It's good to be back" she told him as she looked up and smiled at him

"That White House sure isn't the same without you"

"Who you telling?" agreed Fitz as they all shared a knowing smile and climbed in preparing to head back home.

**TBC**


	16. Chapter 16

_It was T-4 weeks until the scheduled arrival of the newest baby Grant. Although they both tried hard to hide it, both Olivia and Fitz were itching to know the sex of their baby. Reasoning that he wanted the reveal of this pregnancy to be a surprise since all of his other children's had been spoiled by request of their mother, he'd been happily surprised when Olivia agreed. Never one to venture into something that she didn't have all the details for, she rationalized that the first one would be a surprise but any other ones that they had after this one she'd want to know what they were having far in advance. How could you adequately plan for baby clothes when you don't know what you're having? _

_Walking over to answer the desk phone in her OPG Center office, she rubbed her stomach as she felt her child kicking as if asking 'who's on the phone?'_

"Olivia Pope"

"Hey Olivia its Quinn" came the cheery voice of her former colleague

"Quinn! How are you, everything okay?" she asked a bit concerned seeing as Quinn usually called her cell and not the office phone if something was wrong

"Oh yeah, yeah everything's fine" she stammered as she tried to find her next words, "um, could you maybe stop by the OPA office in say about an hour?"

Furrowing her eyebrows as she turned to face the window she asked the next obvious question, "uh yeah, I have a meeting at 3 but I can call my assistant to reschedule that. Are you sure everything's okay?" she asked again when concern began to creep up in her

"Of course, are you kidding? We just got this messy case involving Senator Ridge and we'd just really like your input on something. Huck's been running his finances and Abby's out speaking to his former secretary but Harrison and I are kind of coming to dead ends with what Senator Ridge says happened and what we're actually finding"

"Well, have you spoken to Senator Ridge and confirmed that he's told you everything? This doesn't sound like anything you all really need my help with. You've done this before you can handle it" she assured her.

Turning to look at Abby and Harrison who were looking at her expectantly, she widened her eyes as if to say 'she's not buying it, help me!'

"Well yeah but you know we always value your input Liv and plus, it's been quite a while since you stopped by your old stomping grounds. C'mon, you know you miss this place" she finally told her appealing to her OPA sense of loyalty and love for the group

Smiling into the phone she suddenly realized that Quinn was right. Since becoming First Lady, for the sake of optics and to not cause a conflict of interest for Fitz if she ever got a client who would deem it necessary for her to employ her usual 'fixer' tactics, she'd handed over the reins of OPA to Harrison and promised that she'd be back just as soon as her husband's second term was complete. Although she may have no longer been running the office in day-to-day terms, she was always on call for any of them should they ever need her advice or guidance on a case they had taken on. Truth be told, she missed them all and her former job immensely and welcomed any opportunity to be back with her people in an unofficial capacity.

Finally acquiescing to Quinn's very slick ploy of appealing to her emotional ties to the OPA crew, she agreed to meet everyone within the hour and help them sort this latest case out.

Releasing a sigh of relief when she'd hung up the phone, she turned to the rest of them with a satisfied smile on her face, "She'll be here in an hour"

Laughing as he stood up to walk to Olivia's former office that had now become his, he turned his head to address her, "You good there babe? You're sweating like you were getting tortured for intel"

Giving him a disbelieving look she responded, "have you not met this woman?! It's _impossible _to surprise her!"

"Well, I guess we'll find out in an hour then won't we?" replied Abby as she turned on her heel walking towards the front door. "All cylinders people, Liv's coming back to OPA!"

* * *

Jumping in her car an hour later, she pressed the speed dial number to the White House as she headed towards her former office.

"White House, president's office"

"Hi Ms. Hanley, it's Olivia. Is Fitz available?"

"Yes Mrs. Grant, hold on I'll patch you through"

A few moments later she heard her husband's voice come through her car speakers, "hey you, where are you?"

"I'm heading to the OPA office; Quinn called and said they needed my help with a case they're working on so I'll probably be over there for a couple hours. Wanted to make sure you knew so you didn't worry"

Taking a seat on his office chair and propping his feet up on his desk, he leaned back and continued talking to her, "Okay, you think you'll be home for dinner or no?"

Checking the clock on her dashboard she quickly did the math in her head, "Yeah I should be why? You miss me already?" she asked with a smile in her voice

"I always miss you and plus you've been gone all day. You've spoiled me with your mid-day office visits and I didn't get one today"

"I'm sorry honey, I was busy at OPG all day and now I'm heading to OPA"

"You do realize that you've got offices bearing your name all over D.C. right?" he told her amused

"Part of my master plan, take over this city and then the world"

"That's my girl" he finished with a smirk

Pulling in to the underground parking garage she parked her SUV in its usual reserved spot, "listen babe I'm here, I'll call you when I'm heading back?"

"Okay I love you, be careful"

"Love you too"

* * *

Taking the elevator up to the OPA office floor, she couldn't help the smile that crept on her lips as she breathed in the familiar air. The many cases, tears, laughs and sighs of relief that had been shared within the walls of that office didn't escape her as she once again set foot on their hallowed ground. Sacred, not a word that many would attribute to that place but it certainly was that and then some to her and her gladiators. Sacred because the bonds that had withstood not only the test of time but the most controversial, heartbreaking and triumphant battles had all been fought and won there.

Walking towards the main conference room she furrowed her eyebrows when she noticed it was eerily quiet. Looking into Abby and Harrison's offices and not finding them there, she called out to them.

"Abby? Quinn? Huck? Harrison? Where are you guys?"

Not receiving a response she continued on and opened the door.

"Surprise!" came the excited voices of her associates. Registering her utterly shocked and surprised expression, Harrison and Abby gave each other a fist pound.

"Wha-"she stammered as she tried to find the appropriate words

"It's your surprise baby shower" Quinn started in her usual cheery manner as she walked over to her and took her hand leading her to one of the conference room chairs, "Your baby's about to pop any minute and we know how you hate spending valuable time on trivial things so we figured we'd throw you a baby shower and get you everything you'd need for your little one. After all, we're all going to be aunts and uncles so it was only fair" she finished with a happy smile.

Taking a deep breath as she tried to keep the tears that had started forming at bay, she shook her head as she looked around at them all, "I cannot believe you guys. I'm beyond surprised and grateful, thank you so much for doing this but you know you didn't have to"

"Yes we did. Liv, you're _our _gladiator and you're about to have a beautiful little person in a few weeks. After all you've done for all of us, this is seriously the least we could do. Well this and spoil that little one completely rotten and then send them back home to mom and dad" Harrison finished with his trademark wink.

"You _would_ spoil my child" she told him good-naturedly as she stood up to hug all of them. Even Huck, who usually wasn't one for physical contact, couldn't help but be happy that Olivia had finally found _her_ happy ending.

"Okay people, while I love this show of affection and all if we keep this up Liv's spawn will be born before we even get to open up any presents" came Abby's usual sardonic comment

"Abby, _spawn_?" Harrison said furrowing his eyes at her

"What? You know I don't like kids. I mean I'll like Liv's kid cause it's hers and have you _seen _the daddy?" she stated with a wink, "but anybody else's evil spawn, no thank you" she clarified quickly

"Well thank you Abby, I appreciate that" came Olivia's amused tone. This was Abby and the one thing she always appreciated about her was that she never compromised who she was, even if it was often times not the popular thing to do.

"Anytime! Now seriously, can we get to the food, cake and presents because I'm starving and I really want to see what Harrison got for your kid. I swear, I may take a picture of it and send it to Kimberly Mitchell for shits and giggles. That'll _really _piss off that bitch" she stated clearly referring to Mellie.

"Abby" Olivia started warningly

"I know, I know, we can't touch the wench but a girl can dream" she replied with an exaggerated smile in her direction as Olivia rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Good! Now that that's outta the way, what'd you all get to eat because me and baby are hungry" she told them with a smile as she sat down and continued chatting with them.

After opening the mass amounts of presents that they'd all gotten for her, she was genuinely shocked that they'd thought to get her everything she'd possibly need for their baby; she quickly took out her cell phone to text Fitz.

_Still at OPA, I'm sorry I won't be home for dinner. Go ahead and eat without me. I'll make it up to you tonight. _

After a few minutes, she smiled when she saw his reply: _You most certainly will, see you tonight. Be careful. Love you._

* * *

Coming back to the White House, she walked directly up to the living room in the residence wing of their home. Quietly opening the door when she heard the television on, she smiled over at her husband.

"Oh honey" she drawled out slowly as she watched him.

Sheepishly looking up at her from the Oreo cookie he'd just dunked in his milk, he shrugged his shoulders as he watched her approach him, "I wanted milk and cookies" he told her honestly.

Leaning down to hold his face in her hands, she kissed his forehead, both cheeks and finally his lips before she pulled back, "you're too cute. How are you?"

Setting his glass down, he lifted his arm so she could settle back against his chest, "I'm good, had a busy day per the usual. How were your people?"

"They're good, they threw me a surprise baby shower" she said releasing a contented sigh and she looked up at him.

"I know" he told her with a small smile as he continued looking straight ahead at the television

Sitting up and turning to face him, she had a curious look on her face, "You know? How?"

"Abby called and told me about it a couple weeks ago. She wanted to make sure you didn't have any other pressing commitments today so they could pull it off for you" he told her simply

"So now what? You and my OPA people are besties?" she asked amused

"Your people are my people" he told her with a goofy grin as he leaned in to capture her lips in a kiss. "Did you get some nice things for baby?"

"Did I!" she told him excitedly as she turned to face him on the couch and crossed her legs. "Let's just say the little one is going to give Posh Spice's little girl a run for her fashion money"

"Really? I didn't realize the folks over at OPA were fashion enthusiasts"

"Are you kidding? Have you _not _seen my people? Hell, have you not seen Harrison?" she asked incredulously

"That's true" he finally conceded. "In other news, we're still going with it's a girl? You sure it's not a boy?" he asked hopefully turning to look at her

Cocking her head to the side, she suddenly became a bit worried; did he really want a boy? "Do you want it to be a boy?"

Taking her face in his hands he leaned in and kissed her softly, "No, I just want a healthy, happy, smushy baby that looks exactly like you."

"Well I hate to break it to you honey but considering it takes two people to make a baby I _think, _though I could be wrong here since it may not yet be scientifically proven, that chances are it'll look like you too" she told him with a smile

"Cute, you're very cute"

"I try" she told him with a smile and a shrug. "Speaking of babies and names, we haven't thought of any for him _or _her"

"Are there any that you like? Anyone you'd want to name them after?"

Looking down for a moment, she folded her hands in her lap, "no, I want them to be their own person without carrying the weight of being someone else's namesake on their shoulders." Leaning her head on her hand as she propped it up against the back of the couch, she got quiet for a moment before she continued, "I was named after both of my grandmothers, neither of which I ever had the chance to know but from the little I remember hearing about them when I was little they were incredible women."

"_You _are an incredible woman Livvie. I'm sorry that you never had a chance to know your grandmothers but I have no doubt they'd both be immensely proud of the woman you've become" he told her softly pulling her closer to him.

"I hope so" she replied with a sad smile. Shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts and bring her back to a happier place she got back on their original topic. "What about you? Is there anyone else you'd want to name our baby after?"

Releasing a sigh, he thought for a moment about his answer, "All three of my other children were named after my father, Mellie's grandmother and a cousin so no, I want our baby to be different. Let them have their own identity" he finished with a small smile.

"So then we'll wait until I give birth to see what it is and then come up with a name?"

"I don't know, I've always liked the idea of 'you'll know their name when you see them.' I'd hate for us to pick the name Gertrude and then they come out looking like a Maxine"

"Gertrude? Maxine? Lord Fitz, please tell me you're not seriously considering those as names for our child" she told him a bit concerned

"No they're examples but you get my point"

"Yes, but we're not naming our child after the lady in the bakery or the cranky old woman on humor post cards whose always with her dog" she told him firmly

"Fine, don't take any of my ideas but don't come blaming me when you have the baby and we're sitting there on day three still calling them Junior because we can't think of anything good."

"Fitz, we're both smart, educated, incredibly accomplished people. You get us out of wars and I help people not get into them. I think we'll be more than okay to name our child and hell if not, I'll get my people on it. I'm sure they can come up with a name that hasn't been entangled in some crisis or drama in the last 20 years."

"So then what you're telling me is that we'll wait until we see our baby before we name them?"

"Precisely" she told him with a satisfied smile as she stood up, patted his leg and began walking towards the door

"Livvie –"

"Consider it handled honey!" she called out as the door closed behind her.

"My wife the fixer ladies and gentleman" he muttered to himself as he stood up, turned off the television and followed his wife out to their bedroom.

TBC

* * *

**The Grant baby is almost here! What do _you _think Liv's having? Will it be a boy or a girl? What do you think they should name their baby? Let me know your thoughts in your reviews! xx **


	17. Chapter 17

_Turning over on her side for what felt like the hundredth time in just the last few minutes, she'd just about given up on sleep. She was uncomfortable, no wait, uncomfortable wasn't the word because she was too far past that. For the past two weeks she was lucky if she got two hours of comfortable sleep. With her due date quickly approaching she was anxiously counting down the minutes until she could deliver. She wasn't at all looking forward to the pain of contractions but at this point she figured anything else was better than being as bloated, grumpy and sleep deprived as she felt. Though her husband had been an absolute saint in the last few weeks of this adventure rubbing her back and feet when she welled up with tears at the sight of yet another pair of shoes that no longer fit her, he too was awaiting the birth of their little one. He hated to see her be so uncomfortable and he knew that she couldn't take much more if she wasn't able to properly sleep. The Olivia Pope he knew could withstand and put up with many things but lack of sleep for more than a few days certainly wasn't one of them. He chucked up her grumpy demeanor to the fact that she'd barely slept 15 hours in the last week so he wasn't at all surprised when a simple question of "how are you" came back with a sarcastic reply. She would quickly apologize and feel awful for biting off his head when she knew deep down that he was just trying to be supportive but it still didn't do much to make her feel any better, at least physically. Giving up on any remote attempt to fall back asleep, she got up and got ready for her day. _

"_The joy of pregnancy my ass" she muttered to herself as she waddled down the hallway to Fitz's office that Saturday morning. His schedule had been substantially reduced for the past several weeks in the event that Olivia went into labor and he'd need to be at her side so she was grateful that she wouldn't be interrupting some critical meeting when she finally reached his door and knocked softly. Hearing his reply she opened the door. _

"Fitz" she started woefully as she waddled over to him

Looking up from his papers, he gave her a sympathetic smile as he stood up to kiss her hello, "What's wrong, are you okay?"

"No I'm not okay!" she told him as tears began to well in her eyes and catch in her throat as she leaned her forehead on his chest. "I'm 89 weeks pregnant, I'm uncomfortable, I haven't slept in 3 years and as much fun as this has been" she stated sarcastically, "I'm ready to _not _be pregnant anymore"

Releasing a soft chuckle that caused her to look up at him like he had three heads, he held her face in his hands and kissed her forehead, "I'm sorry you feel so awful honey, is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, get this baby out of me. Can you do that?" she asked hopefully

Raising his eyebrows at her, he didn't really know how to answer that request, "uh well, I'm not sure _I _can personally do that but I'm sure if we call Dr. Jameson she might have some ideas"

"Ugg, forget that. I'll just eat some spicy foods or something; I read in a book somewhere that that's supposed to work. You know anything about that?"

"Uh no, Mellie induced remember?" he deadpanned

"Bitch"she muttered under her breath which caused her husband to stifle an appreciative smirk.

Taking her hand in his and placing one on the small of her back, he led her over to the couch in his office, sat her down and lifted her feet up onto the coffee table.

"Here, you sit tight and I'll get someone to make you some tea and bring it here so you don't have to walk anywhere, how's that sound?"

"Tea? Are you kidding? I don't want tea, I want to have this baby already and it doesn't look like that'll happen anytime soon since I swear they're in there holding off in protest."

"Protest? Why?" he asked amused

"I don't know Fitz, maybe they're getting a head start on giving me a run for my money in the patience department. Lord knows I'm stubborn and –"

"Stubborn? You? No!" he told her sarcastically cutting her off

Throwing him a death glare she continued, "Maybe they're pissed at me for something, who the hell knows. Kids I tell you!"

Clearing his throat as he gave her his trademark smile and leaned over to place his hand on her stomach, he leaned down to give it a kiss as she threw her head back onto the couch in resignation to the fact that she was still very much pregnant, "honey look, I may not have given birth to any children but from my experience, they usually come out when they're ready to come out. You're still a week and a half out from your expected due date so I'm sure everything's fine and you're just on schedule like you're supposed to be."

"Whatever, aren't surprises supposed to come early?" she asked a bit annoyed

Laughing softly as he kissed her cheek he braced himself for the rib jab that was sure to come, "Well, maybe they take after their mother and are choosing to be fashionably late"

Sure enough, the second the words left his mouth he received the anticipated jab to the ribs, "Ouch!" he told her trying to control his chuckle as he leaned away from her.

"Fitz I'm serious! This can't be normal! How do women do this more than once?" she asked incredulously as she rubbed her stomach in circles trying to get their little one to calm down. She swore that whatever they ended up having would be utterly wrapped around Fitz's finger since her stomach activity seemed to exponentially increase whenever they heard his voice. She had to admit her husband did have a ridiculously sexy voice but in this moment, at this present time, he wasn't helping matters.

"Uh, wait" she said as she rolled her eyes upward and shook her head

"What?"

"Your little jumping bean is pressing down on my bladder and now I have to pee"

Raising her arms out in front of her, he immediately stood up to help her knowing that she wouldn't be able to get up from the couch by herself. Steadying her on her feet, he held her hand until she started waddling towards the side door in his office.

"I swear I pee every 5 minutes, that can't be normal" he heard her muttering to herself as she walked. Shaking his head in amusement as he took a seat on the couch again he had to admit that although she was clearly uncomfortable, this was the most sarcastic and humorous he'd ever experienced her. It was quite amusing to watch though he completely empathized with her current suffering.

Waiting for a few more minutes, he stood up to check the rest of his itinerary for that weekend. Maybe they could take a stroll through the Rose Garden if only to help her momentarily forget about how uncomfortable she was. Hearing the side door open again, he smiled at her as she walked over to him and ran a hand through her hair.

"You know what I was thinking when I was sitting in there?" she started with absolutely no preamble

"Yeah?" he asked not knowing where this conversation was going to go

"I think I'm going to chop my hair off and get that Halle Berry pixie look, what do you think?" she asked as she took his offered hand to sit back down on the couch

"I think you'd look good with any hairstyle but can I ask why the drastic change?"

"Yes you may and it's because I doubt I'll have as much time to do my hair once junior is born like I do now. I figure diaper changes and play dates will take the place of that, no?"

"Well yeah but honey, they won't be old enough to have a play date until they're about 3 or 4 and you'll still have time to take care of those things. I know you remember, you're Olivia freaking Pope and you certainly wouldn't be caught dead looking anything other than spectacular so I wouldn't worry so much about that. Sure you'll be busy but you'll have me and a full White House staff ready at your beck and call to help with anything you need so believe me, you'll still have plenty of time to do your girlie, Olivia Pope things" he finished with a slight shrug.

"Huh, okay" she replied absentmindedly as she shrugged. "Well it was just a thought"

"So you have those thoughts often while you're in the bathroom?" he asked genuinely interested

"Eh, bathroom, shower, in the hallways when I'm walking, pretty much anywhere really. My mind never stops" she told him leaning over and giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Smiling at her when they pulled apart, he stood up and offered her his hands, "C'mon, I have an idea"

"What? What idea?"

"C'mon, you'll like it I promise"

"Does it involve something with some type of chocolate on it cause I'm kind of craving that right now" she told him looking a bit distracted as she thought of all the things that contained chocolate that she could potentially eat at the moment

"Uh no, no chocolate but we could get you some if you'd like"

Quickly liking the idea, she took a hold of his hands and stood up with him, "okay, where we going?"

"We" he started as he ushered her out of the Oval, "are going for a little stroll in the Rose Garden. If you're lucky, I may even give you a rose" he told her with a wink

"Oh honey you're so sweet!" she told him releasing a contented laugh as she followed her husband out the door.

* * *

_A few days later: _

Helping her into the limo as they prepared to head to her last official public appearance before she went on maternity leave, Tom smiled at her as he watched her scoot over and buckle in.

"You okay ma'am?"

Giving him the 'thumbs up' he closed the door and went to the front of the limo to settle in. Looking out of the window as they drove down the streets on that brisk January day, she smiled as she rubbed her stomach. Her little one was surprisingly calm today which was no surprise considering that their daddy had been caught up in meetings all day so he hadn't had a chance to get them all riled up by talking to her stomach.

Looking down at her watch, she released a slow breath as a sharp pain hit her in her back. Placing a hand on her lower back where she'd felt it, she winced when she felt another one. Waiting for a few moments to see if anything new would happen, she closed her eyes briefly and released a slow breath thinking it was just her body rebelling against her for being so uncomfortable for the past couple weeks.

A few minutes later, as she sat admiring the fresh coating of snow that had fallen on the city making it look like something out of a postcard, she released a yelp as she leaned forward holding her stomach. Reaching over to press the divider window button, she released a few slow breaths as she saw Tom look back at her.

"Ma'am? Is everything okay?"

"Um, how big of a deal would it be if I didn't go to this thing right now?" she asked in between breaths

Looking over at Henry a bit confused, they shrugged at each other not knowing what to really respond to that, "Uh well, I'm sure we can cancel it ma'am but we're already here"

"Crap" she muttered under her breath as she began a slow rocking motion to ease the pain

"Ma'am is everything okay?" he asked her again as he saw her grimace and noticed the beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead

"Well, besides the fact that you'll probably need to get this limo detailed because my water just broke all over the backseat, yeah, I'm peachy!" she told him offering him the best smile she could muster.

Widening his eyes at her, he spoke into his ear piece as he instructed the rest of their tailing motorcade of their new plans, "Be advised, Sparrow en route to James Madison, her water just broke. All tailing agents secure the perimeter upon arrival."

Turning towards her he gave her a comforting smile, "don't worry Mrs. G, we'll get you to the hospital in no time. Agents have already informed the president so he should already be en route."

Within minutes they had an ambulance tailing them and within record time had arrived at James Madison's maternity wing. Quickly sitting her in a wheelchair and taking her to her private suite, Tom and Henry followed close behind her since the president still had not arrived. Standing guard outside her door while the nurses helped her change from her clothes into the standard issue hospital gown, they walked out and informed her security detail when they were through.

Knocking softly on the door, he peeked his head in when he heard her reply. "Come on in Tom, it's okay" she said in between breaths.

Sensing his hesitation, she smiled over at him, "Tom, I'll be okay. I'm doing my Lamaze breathing so I should be fine for a little while. Don't worry about me, just make sure Fitz is okay and he knows where I am"

"But ma'am, you're my cover today so I'm going to stay with you until the president gets here" he started out trying to explain his predicament

"Fine, so then does that mean that you're going to hold my hand while I go through my contractions?" she asked as she watched him walk over

Giving her a small smile he nodded at her, "if that's what I have to do ma'am" he finished as he offered her his hand to hold when he saw her began to wince

"Ow! Son of a –" she cursed under her breath as she took a death grip on his hand which caused him to wince in return as he looked over at Henry for help. After a few very painful minutes, she finally released his hand.

"Tom, do you have any kids of your own?" she asked looking over at him as she realized that she'd never really asked about his personal life

"No ma'am, I do not"

"Well then, welcome to delivery!" she told him sarcastically as she tried, through gritted teeth, to continue her Lamaze breathing.

"Oh and just so you know – " she started as she raised an eyebrow in his direction

"Yes ma'am?"

"I'm going to _kill _Fitz when I see him"

Releasing a slow breath, Tom sent up a silent prayer for the POTUS. Women and contractions were _not _a good combination.

TBC

* * *

**Have to admit, this has been the most fun chapter to write thus far :) Up next, the Grants finally meet their baby! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you ALL so much for the incredible feedback and reviews you've all been leaving - it makes my heart happy, happy! The littlest Grant is proving to be quite the adventure and they haven't even arrived yet. How many people does it take to deliver a Grant baby? Read on to find out...**

* * *

With his two Secret Service agents flanking him on either side as he walked down the hallway towards his wife's delivery room, he could hardly contain the excited energy he was currently feeling. He'd been in a meeting with Sally and Cyrus discussing the latest iteration of the DREAM Act and how they were going to leverage key members of Congress to get it to pass when one of his Secret Service agents had interrupted them and informed him that Olivia and her detail were en route to the hospital because she'd gone into labor.

Quickly ending their meeting he'd jumped into the waiting presidential limo that had been brought around and within minutes they were en route to James Madison. His agents had kept him abreast of the situation as they drove over so he knew that Tom was currently with Olivia and would remain there until his arrival. Like a well-oiled machine, hospital staff had been informed that the First Lady and president were in the hospital so security would be especially tight to ensure their privacy. Smiling politely at the nurse that had just exited his wife's room, he opened the door to see Tom sitting next to Olivia holding her hand as she breathed through the pain.

Looking over at the fetal monitor, Tom was counting down for her until this latest contraction would be over, "just a few more seconds Mrs. G and then you got this" he told her soothingly.

Closing her eyes as she threw her head back on the pillow clearly tired from the exertion, she hadn't heard her husband enter the room until he walked over and placed a hand on Tom's shoulder making his presence known. Looking up at his boss, Tom immediately stood up, nodded at him and caught him up on everything.

"Sir, her contractions are about 2-3 minutes apart and the doctor said they'd be here soon to administer the epidural since the pain seems to be pretty intense"

"You think?" she retorted sarcastically as she gritted her teeth and looked over at Fitz. Leaning down to run a soothing hand across her stomach, he reached out to shake Tom's hand in appreciation with the other.

"Thanks for everything Tom and for being here to hold her hand until I arrived"

"It's no problem sir, glad I could help"

Looking down at Olivia, he smiled at her as he squeezed her hand supportively, "You got this Mrs. G. We'll be standing guard outside until we hear the little one cry. Don't you worry about anything"

Smiling over at her Secret Service agent that had become much more than that, he'd become a trusted friend, she squeezed his hand in return, "Thank you Tom and sorry about your hand" she said looking down at it as he rubbed it "I'd ask a nurse for some ice for it or something"

"I'll be just fine ma'am, if I can take a bullet for you and the president, a little bone bruise won't kill me" he replied with a wink as he turned to walk out.

Removing his suit jacket and tie, Fitz took a seat next to Olivia and held her hand when he noticed another contraction rearing its ugly head on the fetal monitor.

"Just breath baby, you're okay"

"I'm okay? Honey, as much as I love you, right now is _not _the time to tell me I'm okay. _Nothing _about contractions is okay. These sons of bitches hurt like a motherfucker" she stated quickly in between breaths

Though she wasn't one to use profanity often, he could tell that she was just about at her wits end with this pain and who could blame her.

Wiping her brow as beads of sweat continued to form, he leaned over and kissed her forehead, "the anesthesiologist will be here soon so you should start feeling better in no time."

"Remember that time when I said anything would be better than feeling bloated and uncomfortable? Yeah, about that, I totally take it back. I don't like contractions, they hurt" she said painfully as she rubbed her stomach and tears started to well in her eyes

"I know honey but just think, in a few hours we'll meet our baby and all of this will be over"

"Whoa, hold on. _**Hours**_?" she asked a bit shell shocked. "No one ever said anything about this mess taking **hours**. Can't I just pop them out? I've been contracting for like 30 hours already!"

"Well yeah but you have to dilate in order to be able to start pushing and that usually takes a little while. And sorry to break it to you but the contractions are probably going to get worse" he told her slowly

Narrowing her eyes at him she began waving her hand at him dismissively, "that's it, out! Tom was better at this whole encouraging-the-pregnant-lady-whose contracting thing"

Giving her an amused smile, he nodded, "I'm sure he was but I'm just being honest. Don't you want to know what's coming up so you can prepare?"

"Uh no, I don't actually and here's a tip honey, _lie to me_" she told him through gritted teeth.

"Tell you what, I'm going to go get you some ice chips and then I'll come back"

"You're leaving me here all by myself? What if another of these monstrous things hits me? What am I going to squeeze then?" she asked a bit alarmed

"Uh, well, do you want me to send Tom back in here while I'm gone?"

"No, I broke his hand earlier" she started with an annoyed sigh. "Send Henry in here, he hasn't yet had the pleasure of seeing me in all my contracting glory" she told him with an exaggerated and sarcastic smile. "If I'm in this much pain, the least you all men folk can do is join me."

Nodding at her and knowing better than to argue with her in her current state, he walked towards the door, "I'll be back in a few"

Giving him the 'a-okay' hand sign, she retorted sarcastically, "don't worry about me, take your time. I'll just be here hanging out pushing a human through my body but you? You go ahead and get some ice chips, that's important!"

* * *

_6 hours later…_

"Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!" she pleaded to no one in particular as she bared down and squeezed his hand

Rubbing her back soothingly, he pulled her into his chest in an attempt to sooth her in some way, "honey you're doing great, I'm so proud of you"

"Oh shut up, you're the one who did this!" she told him annoyed as she looked down at Dr. Jameson who had now taken residence at the end of her bed instructing her to push for the past 30 minutes

"C'mon Olivia, I need you to work for your baby. You're doing great" Dr. Jameson told her as she adjusted the stirrups to get Olivia to a more comfortable push position.

"Work for my baby? What do you think I've been doing? Sipping Mai Tai's?!" she told her annoyed as she gritted her teeth and squeezed Fitz's hand

"I'm sorry, I know I'm being an evil bitch right now but these contractions are just awful" she told her apologetically as Dr. Jameson smiled at her

"No need to apologize, I have three kids of my own so I know this is no walk in the park. You do whatever you need to do to get through the pain but I need for you to bare down and push as hard as you can for a count of ten and then you'll take a break and do it again okay? The harder you push the sooner you'll see your baby"

"Ready, here we go. 10, 9, 8, 7"

As Fitz and Dr. Jameson counted down to one, she gritted her teeth and bared down with everything she had. Not able to push any longer, she shook her head as she finished for them "3,2,1" she spat out rapidly as she threw her head back exhausted.

Taking a few deep breaths, she grabbed Fitz by the front of his shirt and pulled him towards her when she noticed him shaking out his hand after her latest death grip.

"Does it hurt?" she asked with a raised eyebrow daring him to say it hurt like anything compared to what she was currently going through

Looking at her expression, he knew what he _should _say versus what he actually _wanted _to say, "Nope, no just making sure I'm ready for the next one" he finished with a small smile

"Alright Olivia, here we go, your baby's crowning so I'm going to need you to push a little harder this time"

"If I push any harder I'm going to poop" she deadpanned as Fitz looked down to conceal his smirk

Shaking her head and giving her a reassuring smile, Dr. Jameson eased her fears, "believe me we've seen it all. No need to be embarrassed Olivia. You ready to push again?"

"No" she whined as she shook her head at her, "is there a rain check option on this madness? This can't be normal to be in this much pain for this long. This is like a violation against the Patriot Act or something!" she told her becoming angry as she grabbed Fitz's hand again and bared down

"Your epidural should've kicked in by now so you should be in a lot less pain than you were before" Dr. Jameson reasoned

Narrowing her eyes at her she had no patience for logic at the moment, "I'm so over this supposed joy of pregnancy bullshit. Let's do this"

Jumping up on the bed to sit behind her and give her additional leverage to push and bear down, Fitz reached around her and took both of her hands in his. "Okay here we go, you can do this just a couple more pushes and we'll have our baby"

With a newfound resolve, she took a deep breath and gave it all she had. Releasing a loud groan as their little one pushed their way into the world she looked at Dr. Jameson as she continued counting.

"5, 4, 3 –"

"I am _never _doing this again do you understand me Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III and don't you even dare ask me" she told him through gritted teeth as the illusive 'number 1' wasn't coming quickly enough

Looking over a bit alarmed at Dr. Jameson she reassured him, "don't worry Mr. President, they all say that but they don't usually mean it"

"Like hell I don't!" she told him giving his hands another powerful squeeze

"Olivia you're almost there, the head and shoulders are out I just need you to push and give it everything you've got one more time –"

"One more time my ass, that's what you said the last time!"

Releasing the groan of a lifetime, she gave the last possible push she had left in her body and soon the beautiful cries of their little one filled the room.

Hearing the cries coming from inside the hospital suite, Henry and Tom gave each other a fist pound as they smiled. The POTUS and the FLOTUS finally had their baby.

* * *

Climbing off the bed from behind her, they both looked on in awe as they watched the nurses clean and measure their baby. Looking down adoringly at his wife who was now shedding silent tears as she looked up at him with a smile, he took her face in his hands and kissed her softly. Pulling back and leaning his forehead against hers, he didn't know what else to say except 'thank you.'

Walking over to the new parents, Dr. Jameson proudly presented them with their little bundle of joy, "I'd like you both to meet your beautiful new baby girl"

Releasing a gasp of awe and wonder, Olivia could no longer contain the happy tears that had been threatening to spill over. Taking her daughter in her arms for the first time, she looked up at Fitz and smiled when he leaned down to kiss her and then leaned over and kissed his baby's forehead.

"Look what we did" she told him in a soft whisper as she looked down at their little girl

"She's absolutely stunning" he said in amazement as he took in his daughter's remarkable features. She had soft, dark curly hair like her father, her mother's pouty lips and nose and the most gorgeous caramel complexion that Fitz swore he'd ever seen. She was resting peacefully in her mother's arms so it would be a while until they knew what color eyes she'd come out with. If they were gray / blue like her father's, he and Olivia were in for a heap of trouble.

Leaning down and breathing in her soft baby smell, Olivia felt as if her heart would explode out of her chest from sheer happiness.

"So you're the one that's been keeping me awake for months huh?" she softly cooed at her as she stirred in her blanket and stretched. Releasing the cutest yawn she swore she'd ever seen, she played with her hand as she watched her, "aw yeah I know you're tired sweetheart, we've had quite the day haven't we?"

Standing back and watching his wife and his newest daughter together, Fitz wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this much happiness and peace at once in his life. He was so enthralled in the scene unfolding in front of him that he hadn't heard his wife speaking to him.

"Fitz" she started again, "you okay?" she asked with a small smile

"Uh yeah, I'm just uh –" he trailed off not knowing exactly what to say

"She's beautiful"

"She's _you" _he said in wonderment as reached out to hold his little girl's hand. Immediately wrapping her tiny hand around his finger, Olivia reached up and cradled the side of his face

"I love you so much, thank you for giving me our little girl"

With a single tear falling from his face, he leaned his forehead against hers, "so does this mean you've forgiven me for the horrible experience of child labor pains?" he asked hopefully trying to lighten the moment

Letting out a soft chuckle she quickly kissed him, "too soon honey, too soon"

Pulling back she looked at him staring at their daughter, "do you want to hold her?"

"Of course" he said already beginning to cradle her in his arms. "Hi precious" he told her as he gently rocked her back and forth, "we've been waiting for you for a while and you were so worth the wait. You are simply gorgeous"

Watching her husband and child together was a feeling that she couldn't quite describe. The sense of love, pride, honor and admiration that she had for this man had multiplied ten-fold the moment their little girl came into the world.

"So now comes the big question mommy" he started out softly as he looked at his wife with a smile, "what're we going to name this little beauty?"

Thinking for a moment she reached out to touch the baby's hand, "well, since I had a feeling she'd be a girl all along, I'll reserve my 'I told you so' by the way" she told him with a wink, "I was thinking that I really like the name –"

"Sophia?" he said looking down at their little girl and missing his wife's completely shocked expression

"Wha-" she stammered, "how did you? I never said anything to you about it"

Looking up at her, he gave her the smile that he reserved only for her and that which always made her heart melt, "I know but I told you, we'd know what her name would be when we met her and she looks like a Sophia" he finished easily as he sat down on the bed next to his wife with their daughter in his arms. Leaning her chin on his shoulder as she looked at their baby she whole-heartedly agreed.

"She's most definitely a Sophia." Reaching out a finger to stroke it down the bridge of her nose, she smiled when the baby stirred and then sneezed. "I think she likes it" she said laughing softly.

"So then her name is Sophia Grant" Fitz said simply

Scrunching her nose, Olivia shook her head and began to think, "No, that seems too simple. I have a feeling she's going to be a dynamic little girl so she needs a middle name"

"Okay, what should her middle name be? Wait, have you already thought of one?" he asked knowing his wife all too well

"I have" she said biting her lower lip, "what do you think of the name Raelynn?"

Taking a moment to consider it, he looked over at her and kissed her lips, "Sophia Raelynn Grant – I like it" he told her with a smile

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, I like it a lot actually. It has a really nice ring to it like a future governor or Supreme Court Justice" he said proudly as he leaned down to nuzzle his nose on the baby's cheek.

"Honey, she's 2 minutes old, let's give her a minute before we start mapping out her political future" she told him good-naturedly.

* * *

Hearing a soft knock on the door, she smiled happily when she saw Tom peek his head in.

"I'm sorry Mrs. G., I don't mean to interrupt but –"

"Are you kidding?" she told him already waving him over "come meet our little girl" she told him happily as he walked over

"Wow, a little girl" he said in almost a stage whisper as he walked over towards the president

"Congratulations sir, she's simply beautiful"

Standing up with her, he looked at Tom with an appreciative smile "that she is. Do you want to hold her?"

Looking over at Olivia as if to get her maternal approval, he was met with her reassuring smile, "Tom, you're family, of course it's okay"

"Uh well –" he began to stammer as Fitz began repositioning her in his arms to pass her over to him, "is there anything specific I need to do with her?"

"Nope, just make sure you cradle her head and the rest she'll take care of" Fitz told him reassuringly

Though he'd been on the First Family's security detail since the start of this administration and had been in charge of protecting the other Grant children on occasion, there was just something special about this little one. Maybe it was the fact that he'd seen and protected Olivia throughout her entire pregnancy or maybe it was the fact that he felt he'd bonded with her in a very different way earlier that day when he'd held her hand and helped her through the pain. Whatever it was, he realized that he was currently holding in his arms the newest, most important person in his life and he would do whatever it took to keep her and her parents safe at all costs.

Looking over at each other and giving a secret smile, Fitz looked at Tom in somewhat of surprise "You sure you don't have any kids of your own Tom? You're a natural with her"

Smiling sheepishly over at his boss he just shrugged his shoulders "she just makes it easy sir, that's all." Clearing his throat softly so as not to disturb her, he looked up and asked the obvious question, "what did you both decide to name her?"

"She's Sophia Raelynn Grant" Olivia stated proudly

Releasing a low whistle, he raised his eyebrows impressed, "Wow, that's a future president right there"

"Lord don't encourage him, Fitz is already planning her gubernatorial campaign" she told him as she shook her head when she saw Fitz's shrug as if saying 'what? you can never start too early in politics.'

* * *

Hearing another soft knock on her hospital room door, she smiled when she saw the rest of their security detail peek their heads in.

"Is it okay if we meet the newest baby Grant Mr. President?"

Turning towards the door he waved all four of them in, "Of course, come in and meet baby Sophia Raelynn Grant"

Looking at the rest of them with a satisfied smile as they filed in, Tom shifted her slightly in his arms so they could all see her. With congratulations and affirmations of her being one of the most beautiful babies they'd ever seen, Olivia couldn't suppress her laughter as they all talked amongst themselves figuring out who would be personally assigned to her security detail.

After several minutes of debate, Henry spoke up to confirm the one thing they could _all _agree on, "we may not agree on who gets to be assigned to her detail but there is one thing we all already came up with and agreed on"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Fitz asked amused

"Her Secret Service code name" they all said simultaneously

Clapping her hands at the news, Olivia was excited to hear what they'd come up with. With Fitz already being 'Skylark' and her name being 'Sparrow' she reasoned that Sophia's name would also need to begin with an 'S' to keep up with code name tradition and protocol.

"So what's her name going to be?" she asked excited looking between them all

Looking over at the rest of them, Henry explained their choice, "well, we were all secretly hoping it'd be a girl so-"

"Aw you were?" Olivia said utterly touched as they looked at her a bit embarrassed

"So we figured if we were right and she was a girl her code name would be 'Sprinkles' "

Smiling over at his 'guys' as he affectionately referred to their Secret Service agents, he couldn't help but smirk, "You guys _would _come up with the girliest possible code name there could be."

"Well, we also thought of 'Lucky Charm' but since your code name letter is 'S' that really wouldn't of worked" Tom explained quickly

"So that settles it then" Olivia started, "You guys will now be protecting our Sprinkle" she finished with a warm smile.

With her husband, their daughter and their Secret Service agents, who were now extended family, all taking in the joyous occasion and singing 'Happy Birthday' to her little miracle, Olivia couldn't have asked for a bigger blessing.

**TBC**


	19. Chapter 19

**You all simply ROCKED my life with your incredible reviews to the last chapter. I so appreciate the thoughtfulness, insight, honesty and humor that comes through in each and every one of your replies. :) Thank you, thank you, thank you! With that, on to the next chapter...**

* * *

_**BNC News:**_

Reporter: "Congratulations are in order for President Grant and the First Lady as they celebrate the birth of their daughter. Sources tell BNC News that the infant was born this past Friday at James Madison Hospital but no further details were readily available. News of the First Lady's pregnancy was announced in March. This marks the first time since the Kennedy administration that a sitting president has welcomed a new baby while in the White House.

In other news from around the world…"

* * *

_The concept of motherhood was something that had never truly crossed her mind until she met and fell in love with Fitz. Up until that point she would have been perfectly content to live a carefree, independent lifestyle where her job was her life and her life was her job. If she didn't love what she did so much she would've probably agreed that it wasn't the best or healthiest lifestyle to lead but alas she was damn good at her job and she (as well as others) knew it. All those plans went straight to hell the minute she laid eyes on one Fitzgerald Thomas Grant III. Though their situation was certainly complicated and certainly not one that Olivia ever thought she'd find herself in, it was the truest and most genuine form of love she'd ever experienced and now, after six of the most trying yet gratifying years of her life, she was able to share that love with the newest and most beautiful representation of that union – their daughter. _

_It seemed like a whirlwind the past couple of days. She had given birth and ever since then everything had seemed like an absolute blur. From innumerable visitors that had stopped by her hospital suite to extend their congratulations and well wishes to the incalculable number of floral bouquets that now adorned her hospital room suite and that which she swore had completely wiped out the entire city of D.C. and made it impossible for any other new mother to receive any flowers of her own, she was incredibly grateful but also inconceivably tired. It seemed as if the world was conspiring against her whenever she tried to get a few solid hours of sleep. From nurses who continuously came to check up on her to her daughter's feeding schedule to the stream of visitors that didn't seem to end, she was utterly exhausted. _

_In a rare moment of peace and quiet, she leaned her head back and briefly closed her eyes. She'd told herself that she was only going to rest her eyes for a few moments but before she knew it she had fallen fast asleep._

* * *

_3 hours later…_

Stirring in her sleep, she turned her head when she heard the soft murmur of what sounded like her husband. Opening her eyes she came face to face with the loves of her life, her baby and her husband.

On the gliding rocker next to her bed sat her husband with his little girl propped up on his shoulder as he softly rubbed her back. She smiled over at them realizing that he hadn't yet noticed she was now fully awake.

"This has got to be my favorite version of you, the doting daddy" she told him softly so as not to startle him as she sat up in her bed

Looking up at her, he smiled, got up and went to give her a kiss hello. Holding Sophia securely to him, he leaned downto kiss her lips and then her forehead.

"Hey there beautiful, I came in and you were fast asleep so I didn't want to wake you. You looked pretty tired when I stopped by earlier so figured you should get some rest"

"Is that your nice way of telling me I looked awful?" she asked amused

Shifting Sophia in his arms as she began to squirm as if wanting to be a part of the conversation, he repositioned her so she was now facing Olivia, "of course not, I just know that childbirth is beyond exhausting and you've barely had any time to yourself what with visitors and nurses coming in all of the time"

"Yeah, it's been surreal but I'm grateful for it even if I'm past the point of delirium. Sophie's an incredibly blessed and loved little girl so I don't mind sharing her with people" she told him with a smile as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn

Furrowing his eyebrows at her he began to look a bit concerned, "tell me what you need Livvie" he stated rather than asked

"What? What do you mean?"

"I mean what do you need? I know you're exhausted and you're in desperate need of sleep for starters but beyond that what else can I do to make you feel okay right now? Do you want me to ask the guys to limit the number of visitors they allow in here per day, ask the nurses to only check on you if absolutely necessary, what?" he asked her as he cradled the back of Sophia's head and kissed her temple softly

Releasing an appreciative sigh she reached out her hand to him and scooted over to make room for him and their baby on her bed, "C'mere"

Sitting down next to her, he released a worried sigh of his own, "Livvie –"

"Honey, I appreciate your concern, truly I do, but I'm okay. Am I exhausted yes but what new mother wouldn't be? In case you haven't heard child birth is like running eight consecutive marathons – not easy" she replied good naturedly

"Exactly, which is why I want you to get as much rest as you can _now _because the minute we bring her home it'll be a lot of sleepless nights for the next few months."

"I'm aware, because see _that _part I did read about in my baby book" she told him with a wink. Pulling him down to her so she could kiss his cheek she leaned her forehead on his shoulder, "although-"

"Although what? Tell me" he coaxed softly

"If the guys could limit the number of visitors that would actually be really helpful so I can maybe get a few extra hours of sleep before I get discharged tomorrow"

"You got it"

Standing up, he placed Sophia in her arms "you hold on to her while I go take care of some things. I'll be back"

Raising an impressed eyebrow at him as she prepared to nurse Sophia she couldn't help but smile at his swagger as he sauntered towards the door, "what're you going to do?"

Turning towards her with a wink he merely said "consider it handled"

* * *

After a brief security briefing with the SS agents on duty that day in which he'd informed them of their new screening procedures for visitors that came to see his wife and after briefly meeting with the nursing staff assigned to his wife's care, he returned to the room.

Seeing his wife nursing their baby was a sight that he wasn't sure he'd ever have the delight of seeing given how they'd started out. There were days when, although he hated to admit it, he truly wondered if they were ever going to get the chance to be together. Outside circumstances and forces seemed to block any hope of progress they'd fought so hard to gain but alas, where there was a will there was a way and her name was Olivia Pope.

Taking a seat on the gliding rocker once more, he crossed his legs and cocked his head to the side watching them, "did you ever think you'd be here?"

"With you?" she asked a bit confused as she played with Sophie's hand while she nursed

"No, I mean be here as in be a mother, because when I first met you Mrs. Pope-Grant, you were the farthest thing from having babies on the brain if ever I'd seen it"

With a soft laugh she agreed, 'that's true, but thanks to you that all changed. To be honest, I don't know if I would've ever allowed myself to get to this place with anyone else _but _you"

"What do you mean?" he asked genuinely intrigued by her answer

Taking a deep breath she gathered her thoughts for a moment, "Well, it's a big deal to decide to have a child with someone and I certainly wasn't going to do it with just any Joe-shmo. By the time I met you I was pretty much settled in my career and had a routine and rhythm for how I did things and I was perfectly happy with that but then here comes one Fitzgerald Grant to throw all those plans out the window – per your usual" she told him as she heard him smirk, "and at that point I resigned myself to the fact that to have a life with you meant embracing all parts of it, the good, the bad, the ugly and the scary. The scariest of those being motherhood which is something I didn't think I was cut out to do"

"And look at you now" he told her in awe

"Yeah, who would've thought huh?" she said softly as she looked down at Sophia and gasped softly as she waved Fitz over.

With a confused look on his face he walked over to the bed, "What's wrong?"

"Look! She's finally opened her eyes big enough so we can see what color her eyes are" she told him excitedly as she sat her up in her lap

For the first time since he'd heard that Olivia had gone into labor Fitz suddenly had a moment of panic. Though it shouldn't have been such a big deal, he suddenly realized that his daughter's eye color would determine his future sanity. If she had brown eyes like her mother he would keep her at home until she was 35 per his already pre-determined plan but if she had been born with his eyes, Lord help them all. He was already hyperventilating thinking of the increased security he'd need to hire, the extensive screening process that potential suitors would need to go through let alone potential nannies and even worse, how they would raise a little girl that had her mother's looks and personality traits but with his piercing blue eyes that were sure to have all kinds of people, namely from the male persuasion, flocking after her.

Bracing himself for what was sure to be an immediate spike in his therapy bill given what he was about to potentially see, he looked down at their little girl. With a sharp intake of breath he and Olivia looked into the eyes of their little one for the very first time.

"Oh honey she has your eyes!"

Releasing a soft groan he took a seat on the bed next to her, "Livvie" he whined uncharacteristically causing her to laugh

"What? You okay?"

"No I'm not okay! Do you have _any _idea what this means?" he asked incredulously as he ran a hand down his face

"Uh yeah, she's got the full package: beauty, brains and incredible eyes" she started out. "Not gonna lie, I'm more than a little jealous that she has your eyes"

"Don't be, it's a curse" he told her annoyed

"What? Why?" she asked not understanding his reaction "She's beautiful Fitz! What's the problem?"

"_That _is exactly the problem. She got the best of both of us and now she'll have to end up in a nunnery somewhere because I'll be damned if any boy comes anywhere near her"

"Oh stop it and relax" she told him going immediately into 'fixer' mode as she tried to gain some leverage for her little girl. She knew how he got when he was in full on protector mode and it was entirely too soon for him to be getting so riled up about potential suitors that probably hadn't even been _born _yet.

"Livvie, I'm not kidding"

"I know you're not which is what's concerning me. Listen to me, first of all, she is our daughter and she's absolutely beautiful and gorgeous and the best parts of both of us which includes having your eyes so deal with it. Second, no daughter of mine is going to end up in some nunnery because her father is too antiquated to listen to reason. You're the progressive, Republican president for crying out loud or have you forgotten?"

"But –"

Putting up a hand to stop him she continued, "No I'm not finished yet so listen to me carefully. I get that this probably caused you to have some palpitations and you're going to call anyone and everyone to ensure that she has a 15-man detail on her at all times but Fitz, you need to breathe. She is 3 days old and **years **away from having her first boy related anything so calm down, take a deep breath and relax. If you want to try some of my Lamaze breathing I got real good at it" she told him trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Narrowing his eyes at her he told her, "Fine, you may not be _completely _off base with all of that but that still doesn't make me feel any better."

"Okay then let me ask you this, were you this way when Karen was born?"

Without a moment's hesitation he responded, "Yes, I was"

"Uh huh, and how's that working out for her so far?" she asked already knowing the answer

"Incredibly well if you ask me, she's single and focused on what's important so I'd say stunningly well"

Letting out a groan as she looked up at the ceiling and shook her head, she decided to try another tactic, "here, hold your baby and burp her because I can't knock sense into you when my hands are occupied" she told him handing Sophie over.

"Karen is an incredibly intelligent, gifted and capable young woman and she certainly didn't get that way because you had her locked up in a tower somewhere"

"Tower Livvie? Dramatic much?" he asked with a raised eyebrow as he burped Sophia

"I'm making a point here Fitzgerald" she told him which caused him to immediately shush up and listen attentively

"I get that you're worried about having a little girl, let alone one that is as beautiful as ours is and will surely continue to be as she grows up but you can't expect to raise a young woman whose independent, politically savvy and successful in her own right if you don't allow her to explore and become her own woman through the mistakes and failures that are inherent with being an active member of society and living a full, enriching life."

Looking down at his daughter as he kissed the top of her head and laid his cheek on it, he looked over at Olivia and sighed, "I hate it when you're reasonable" he told her with a slight eye roll

"I know, but you still love me for it because you know I'm right"

"I do" he told her as he reached over to kiss her softly. With a resigned sigh, he lifted Sophia up to eye-level and kissed her nose, "what're we going to do with you peanut, huh? You're going to give me and mommy gray hairs before we're ready for them" he cooed at her as he peppered her cheek with kisses.

Rubbing his back lovingly she kissed his cheek, "you'll be okay honey I promise. She's going to grow up to be an incredible young woman and contributing member of society if I have anything to say about it"

"With you as her mother I have no doubt that she will, I just want to make sure she's protected and happy"

"We'll make sure that she is, don't you worry about that."

* * *

_The following day: _

Finally receiving the go-ahead from Dr. Jameson who'd insisted Olivia and Sophia stay in the hospital for a few days for observation, the Grant family made preparations to return to the White House. The excitement and anticipation in the air was palpable as everyone worked to ensure that everything was ready for the First Family's arrival.

Impeccably dressing her in her hospital departure outfit, a gift appropriately from Harrison, Olivia prepared to take her little girl into the real world for the very first time. With details of Sophia's birth being heavily guarded so as to ensure the first family's privacy, Olivia suddenly understood what 'mama bear' syndrome was all about. With heavy security assigned to their hospital departure detail, Olivia was thankful that for at least today she wouldn't have to worry about being the fixer and managing a situation but she could instead focus on her latest role – that of being a mother to a 4-day old child.

Securing the infant's car seat into the limo, Olivia smiled up at Anthony as he double and triple checked all the straps to make sure it was firmly in place.

"I bet you never thought that figuring out how to secure an infant's car seat into the back of a presidential limo would be part of your job description huh?" she told him good naturedly as she leaned over to gently rock the carrier as Sophia started to fuss.

"No ma'am but it sure beats patrolling the grounds at the White House"

"Way to find a silver lining in that" she told him with a smirk as she leaned back in her seat and waited for them to begin making their way back home.

Although he had just become a father for the fourth time, the country, the world and everything in between simply did not stop churning because of that news. Hating to have been stuck in a critical security briefing with his Joint Chiefs of Staff which inevitably caused him to miss being with Olivia and Sophia when they were released from the hospital, he knew that if anyone was to understand the circumstances he was under, it was sure to be Olivia.

_**Flashback:**_

"_I understand that you have a country to run and that those responsibilities don't simply go away because I gave birth – unfortunately" _

"_I know you understand but I still hate the fact that I can't be there when you and Sophie get discharged" he told her releasing a frustrated sigh as he leaned back in his chair. Switching the phone to his other ear, he could hear Olivia's wheels turning_

"_Fitz, we need to be realistic here. Would I prefer that you be here with me when I get released tomorrow? Yes, but I also understand that until you leave office there are, unfortunately, going to be many things that you miss because of this job. Is it fair that while I may get a month off for maternity leave you don't have that same luxury? No, but it's the reality of what we have to deal with and the sacrifices we have to make and I get that" she told him honestly_

"_Livvie, you know what I wish sometimes?" he asked softly as he propped his feet up on his desk and settled in to talk to her_

"_What's that?"_

"_That it wouldn't be such a gut-wrenching decision every time it feels as if I need to choose between my country and my family" he told her and she heard the consternation in his voice _

_Wishing that she could somehow be near him at the moment she knew that she needed to play the dual role of understanding wife and rational advisor. _

"_I get that sometimes it gets difficult Fitz but you've managed to do it while having three other kids so this one shouldn't be all that different. Will we need to rearrange our schedules a bit and set some ground rules for what we will and will not compromise on when it comes to spending time with Sophie and how long we're apart for? Probably but right now I think it's a bit early to start thinking and worrying about all of that when for the time being we'll be coming home tomorrow and we simply need to focus on the day-to-day"_

"_I love you, you know that?" he told her with a smile in his voice as he shook his head and wondered how she managed to always hold it together with such grace_

"_I know I love you too and we'll figure all of this out. Like you told me when I was having a moment of panic, we have plenty of people that are more than willing to lend a helping hand when necessary and hell, if nothing else we'll get one of the guys to babysit her if push comes to shove" she finished with a smile_

"_That'll be a sight to see, six SS agents and a baby" _

"_Hey you know what, it may spark a career change for one of them" she told him seriously_

"_To what? Male nanny?" he asked confused_

"_Listen, you never know, don't knock it till you try it" _

_Breathing a relieved sigh, he dropped his feet from the desk and leaned his head on his chin, "I'm just glad you and Sprinkles will be home tomorrow. I miss my girls" he told her causing her to smile_

"_We miss you too"_

_Hating to hang up knowing that he was feeling a certain kind of way about this, she blew a kiss into the phone which was extremely uncharacteristic of her since she found that to be the cheesiest form of expressing affection. _

"_Since I'm not there with you to do it in person and I can just imagine the look on your face right now, hopefully that'll sustain you until I see you tomorrow" _

"_It's almost scary how well you know me but okay, I'll let you get some rest because I know tomorrow is going to be a circus when you get released" _

"_Try and get some sleep okay?" _

"_I'll try and you do the same. Love you" _

"_Love you more"_

* * *

Arriving at the White House, she had been completely taken aback by the throngs of staffers wanting to see the baby, chat with her and generally be in her presence since she'd been gone for the past few days. For the first time since she'd given birth she suddenly craved just the tiniest bit of privacy and peace to adjust and figure out what her next move would be. With Fitz in meetings for another couple of hours, she placed Sophia in her crib and quietly walked back to her bedroom. Closing the door behind her she looked around at her surrounds and a sudden anxious feeling overtook her.

Would she be able to handle the pressures of being the First Lady, a wife, a business woman and a new mother? Would she have what it took to do all those roles well without losing herself and her hard-earned identity and reputation in the process? Would this feeling of loneliness and despair that she suddenly felt go away? The enormity of it all was real, overwhelming and palpable. Walking over to the bed, she slowly sat down, placed her hands on either side of her and took a few deep breaths as she tried to regulate her breathing and take it all in. There, in the stillness of an empty presidential bedroom suite she let down her guard and finally allowed herself to not be the Olivia Pope that everyone always expected to show up but instead, be a woman who was terrified of failing and doing so at the expense of her new born child. There, alone and in the quiet of her bedroom, she placed her hands over her face and silently wept.

**TBC**


	20. Chapter 20

_2 weeks later:_

January was proving to be an incredibly busy month for the president as he prepared to deliver his State of the Union address to the country while he simultaneously juggled the latest overseas political conflict and being a father to a 3-week old baby. Given how contentious the last few Congressional voting sessions had gone, the last thing he needed were claims that he wasn't operating on all cylinders and was allowing external factors to distract him. With a new baby came more than several sleepless nights as well as an increased desire to spend more time with his family whenever possible even if that meant fighting tooth and nail to ensure that his schedule actually allowed for that to happen.

Walking into the Oval, Cyrus delivered the latest draft of the State of the Union address on the president's desk and took a seat on the couch as Fitz joined him.

"So how many hours of memorization should I expect to do this evening given the latest changes to my remarks?"

"Eh about an hour or so" Cyrus estimated shaking his head back and forth, "I told Jim not to make too many changes to it. After all, you're a new dad who's not sleeping much these days so you don't have the luxury of time to memorize an entirely new speech only four days before you're set to deliver it in front of all of Congress and the entire nation."

"This is Jim we're talking about Cyrus" he told him with a raised eyebrow as he turned his head to look at him, "that man would rewrite an entire speech only two minutes before I was set to deliver it if it wasn't for us setting some ground rules about what a dick move that is"

Laughing at the accuracy of the statement, Cyrus ran a hand over his face and looked over at Fitz, "that's true, Jim can be quite the asshole when he wants to be but let's face it, the man is one of the best speech writers in the Western world, next to our Liv of course"

"That he is" Fitz agreed pursing his lips as he did so

"Speaking of incredible speech writers and new mothers, how is Olivia doing? I haven't really seen her since she came back from the hospital"

Releasing a breath as he stood up and began walking around the Oval, Fitz put his hands in his pockets as he looked down.

"Everything okay sir?" Cyrus asked furrowing his eyebrows

Turning to look at him he gave him an unconvincing smile, "Yeah I guess. I'm just worried about Liv that's all"

"Worried why?"

"I don't know, could be absolutely nothing but she's just been really withdrawn and quiet since she came home. I could be completely misreading her about what's going on which wouldn't surprise me since I've been so damn busy with this Kashfari crisis and preparing for the SOTU address" he rambled on quickly

"Sir, I don't have any children of my own but believe me that isn't from lack of pestering on my husband's side, but from what I understand having a newborn isn't easy for any parent. They cry, they fuss and they generally make life miserable for the first few months but then things get better, from what I hear" Cyrus told him in an attempt to try and empathize with him.

Giving him a slight smirk he shook his head at him, "so I take it you're still refusing to give James the smushy baby he wants?"

"Sir, don't even get me started on that poor man's delusions" he told him waving a hand at him dismissively

"Cyrus, you're going to have to budge one way or another on this issue and _soon. _James has been bugging you about a baby for over eight months now and you're still peddling that 'I'm too busy' crap. It's _never _going to be the perfect or right time to have a baby. Something is always going to happen or come up that's going to give you a brand new excuse for why you can't do it. If you love him and want him happy then I say take your own advice and give for what you love."

Releasing a frustrated sigh, Cyrus stood up and walked over to the president, "sir, with all due respect, I see what having a new child has been doing to you. You're not sleeping properly and I won't even begin to guess how your eating habits have changed as of late and I've barely seen your wife for more than a few minutes in passing so forgive me if I'm selfish for wanting to sleep and eat like a normal human being"

Raising his eyebrows at him semi-amused Fitz shook his head at him, "this isn't eternal Cyrus. Once Sophie gets to be a couple months old she'll start getting on a normal sleeping pattern and things will begin to once again get back to normal for me and Liv. I have three other children remember? This isn't my first time at the rodeo"

"I've never liked cowboys sir" Cyrus deadpanned

Putting a hand on his shoulder, Fitz just looked at his Chief of Staff, "Cyrus, go talk to your husband and make a decision on this baby thing because I promise you, when he comes over to visit with Sophie and he holds her, he's going to make _your _life a living hell until you agree to a baby."

"Fine, I'll go talk to my husband as soon as you go talk to your wife and figure out what's going on with her. This isn't like Liv to be quiet and withdrawn. I'm sure she's fine sir but with Olivia, you can never be too careful"

Pointing to the revised speech sitting on his desk, Cyrus turned and walked out of the Oval leaving Fitz to wonder and worry if there was something more he should or needed to be doing for his wife.

* * *

Walking into Dr. Jameson's office a few days later, Olivia waited patiently for her OBGYN to arrive. After the long labor and delivery that she'd experienced, she'd sent the doctor a beautiful bouquet of flowers and an incredibly heart-felt note thanking her for her great care throughout her pregnancy and support during her delivery. She realized that she hadn't been the most graceful delivering pregnant woman but Dr. Jameson's reassuring smile throughout the 6+ hours of delivery had been her saving grace during that very painful time.

Giving her a warm smile as she stood up to hug her when she walked in, Dr. Jameson pulled back and took Olivia's hands as she looked at her, "you are certainly glowing Olivia and you look wonderful, per your usual"

"I'm glad to see the façade is working because I tell you what, little Sophie is a night owl!" she told her with a soft laugh as they both took a seat

"How is your precious little one doing?"

"She's doing beautifully, thank you for asking. She's up every 4-5 hours these days but from what I hear that's normal for the first few months"

"It is. Once she hits about three months she'll start adjusting to a much longer sleep pattern which I'm sure will be much welcomed" she told her with a smile as she looked at her. "And thank you so much by the way for the beautiful bouquet of flowers, I absolutely loved them"

"Are you kidding me, of course! After what I put you through when I was giving birth it was the least I could do" she told her as they both laughed at the memory.

"You were actually one of the nicer ones! I've just about seen it all so believe me when I tell you that child labor pains is a carte blanche to do and say whatever you want because no man will ever experience that type of agony"

"Amen" Olivia told her as she nodded her head in agreement.

"Now" Dr. Jameson began immediately catching on to the fact that although Olivia was laughing and smiling with her, there was just something that was slightly off, "how are you, _really?"_

"What do you mean? I'm fine" she told her with a small smile as she furrowed her eyebrows at her slightly confused.

"Olivia, I know you. You just had a baby, you're sleep deprived as most new parents usually are and you're trying to keep it all together on the outside while you figure out how to deal with everything on the inside. I'm a mother of three, believe me, I've been there" Dr. Jameson told her comfortingly.

Releasing a sigh as she looked down at her hands in her lap, Olivia looked back up at her with tears welling up in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip trying to keep them from falling.

"I don't know how moms do this" she told her softly as she reached up to wipe away a tear. "I'm physically and emotionally exhausted _all_ the time and feel like the worst mother in the world whenever people call wanting to visit and see the baby and all I want to do is crawl into bed and not get up for days. Am I just an awful parent?" she asked her sadly as she put her head in her hands.

"No" Dr. Jameson told her as she stood up and walked to the front of her desk and removed Olivia's hands from her face and held them in hers, "you're a new, first-time mother and its completely and utterly normal"

"if this is normal than why does it feel so awful?"

"Because you've never experienced this before" Dr. Jameson told her reassuringly. "Olivia, you need to see this situation as objectively as possible and understand that there's quite a few things at play, not to mention the fact that your particular situation is heightened by the fact that you also happen to be somewhat of a high profile individual, what with being the First Lady and all"

"Factors like what?"

"For starters, your hormone levels are completely out of whack and will continue to be that way until they start getting back to normal in a couple weeks. Secondly, newborn babies require _a lot _of time and attention. Yes they are beautiful and precious and a complete blessing but they will also drain you of your sleep and whatever little energy reserves you have left post-labor. You need to take care of yourself Olivia and ask for help whenever you need it. There's no shame in admitting that you're tired and need help."

Sighing as she looked up at the ceiling as she continued to hold back tears, she finally resigned herself to the fact that if she didn't let some of them fall, she'd end up having a breakdown in a very unfortunate way. Crying freely in front of her doctor, Dr. Jameson leaned down and enveloped her in her arms.

"Olivia, you need to talk to someone so you don't keep this all bottled up inside"

"I just don't want to seem like a failure" she told her as she softly sobbed

Pulling back to look her in the eyes she shook her head at her, "You're _not _a failure, you're a new mother. Right now you're experiencing what we call the 'baby blues' or postpartum depression It's when your hormone levels bottom out post-delivery and it feels as if you have no control over your emotions. Most new mothers I've seen go through this become incredibly sad or depressed, some have shown signs of withdrawal from normal everyday activities and it becomes increasingly difficult for them to engage and be social with their loved ones even their own babies when they're feeling so emotional"

"How do I make this stop? I swear I feel like I cry at the drop of a hat and I don't want Fitz to worry so I parade around acting like everything's okay and then I breakdown in the shower the minute he leaves"

Giving her a sympathetic smile, she sat down next to her and turned to face her, "first thing you do? Be honest with him and let him know what's going on. As president I know he's incredibly busy and he may not have picked up on the signs of PPD but the longer you hold this in, the longer you don't say anything to anyone and continue this charade, the worse it's going to be once it all comes to a head. You need to be healthy, in every sense of the word, so you can be the best mother you can be for your precious baby girl" she finished as she gave Olivia an encouraging hand squeeze.

Smiling over at her as her tears finally stopped flowing, she breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe this wasn't catastrophic like she'd been imagining and maybe there was, after all, a way out of this deep, dark hole that she found herself currently in.

"Thank you Dr. Jameson and I'm sorry that I turned this visit into a therapy session" she told her with a chuckle

"It's my pleasure, believe me. I saw you through your entire pregnancy and delivery so now my job is to make sure that you and Sophia are healthy and that she's growing and developing the way she should be. You have an incredible little girl so I want you to enjoy her because believe me, they grow up much too quickly"

Looking over at the picture of Sophia that now hung on the wall behind Dr. Jameson's desk that contained pictures of all the babies she'd helped deliver, she smiled thinking about her little girl, "she is quite amazing" she started as she nodded. "She has her father completely wrapped around her little finger and that man is a total goner for her" she told her shedding some light into the relationship between her husband and child.

"I'm sure she does, with his eyes and your looks, I'll be surprised if he lets any little boys near her"

"Don't even get me started on how overprotective he already is of her. Did you know that he increased her Secret Service security detail to 6 guys? She's an 8 pound little thing and she has these six big SS agents protecting her. I can't even with him" she told her as she shook her head at her husband's antics as Dr. Jameson simply laughed.

"Such is the life of being the daughter of the president of the United States"

"I guess so, I just hope she still thinks it's funny when she's 17 and her dad refuses to let her date" Olivia finished as she smirked

Chatting for a few more minutes, Olivia looked at her appreciatively as she stood up to hug her, "thank you Dr. Jameson for taking the time to listen and reassure me that I'm not crazy"

"Anytime my dear, but I would highly encourage you to talk to your husband about what's going on so he knows how to support you moving forward. I understand that he's busy but after knowing him for the past several years, that man loves you and his kids above everything else so I know he'll want to be as supportive as possible but he can't do that if he doesn't know what's going on."

"You're right and yes, I will talk to him. He's a good man and an amazing father, I'm a lucky woman"

"Well I'm sure he'd say _he's _a lucky man" Dr. Jameson told her as she walked her to the door. "Call me if you need _anything _you hear me?"

"I most certainly will. I'll see you in a couple weeks for Sophie's first check-up."

* * *

Walking towards the door of the Oval office he checked his watch as he proceeded towards the back stairwell that led towards the nursery. Quietly opening the door, he smiled over at the nanny as she folded Sophia's baby clothes.

"Good afternoon Melanie, how's my little one today?" he asked walking over to the bassinet where Sophie lay admiring her butterfly mobile

"Good afternoon Mr. President, Sophia's having a great day today. She already had her bath and her bottle and I just lay her down a little while ago. Mrs. Grant should be returning shortly so I wanted to make sure Sophia was all ready for her by the time she returned."

"Where is Olivia?"

"She had an appointment with Dr. Jameson and should be back any minute now" she informed him as she put the baby's clothes in her expansive drawer set

"Oh that's right, I forgot she had that scheduled for today" he told her as he smiled and walked over to the bassinet. Leaning down to pick her up, he made a soothing shooshing sound as he noticed her begin to kick her little legs as he cradled her head and brought her up to eye-level. "Hi baby girl, I heard you're having a good day today" he cooed at her as he kissed her cheek softly.

Cradling her on his shoulder, he rubbed her back as he brought her over to the window in the nursery that overlooked the South Lawn. Speaking softly to her as he swayed with her back and forth, Melanie smiled at the scene as she quietly left the room.

"I'm sorry that I hadn't been up to visit you earlier but daddy's been busy with a few little things. Mommy's going to come back in a little bit and spend some time with you while I go back downstairs and finish a couple things with Uncle Cyrus."

Hearing her gurgle, he leaned her forward and kissed her forehead, "you know what else? Your older brothers and sister are excited to meet you in a couple weeks when they come back from Santa Barbara and I know they're going to fall madly in love with you like your mommy and I have" he told her with a smile

Leaning against the door frame smiling as she watched the scene in front of her, Olivia didn't want to interrupt their quiet bonding time so she quietly turned around and walked back down the hallway.

* * *

_Later that evening…_

After spending the past hour memorizing the latest revised SOTU speech, he rubbed his eyes as he looked at the clock. 10:40pm. Pinching the bridge of his nose as he yawned, he shook his head as he stood up. These late nights had to stop soon otherwise he'd be making stupid mistakes simply because he was exhausted. Picking up his suit jacket, he undid his tie as he walked upstairs to the private residence. Opening the door to their bedroom, he walked over to his closet and hung up his suit jacket as he called out for his wife.

"Livvie?"

Waiting for a moment to see if he heard a response, he furrowed his eyebrows when he didn't receive one. Figuring she was probably in the nursery with Sophia, he got in the shower to wash the day away. Coming back out and still not seeing her, he put on his silk pajama pants and walked towards the nursery.

Opening the door, he heard her melodic voice before he even saw them. Standing by the window as the lights of D.C. shone bright casting a peaceful glow over the city, he smiled as he listened to her, _"up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, twinkle, twinkle, little star…" _

Slowly walking over to them, he wrapped his arms around his wife as she held their little girl. Leaning down to kiss her neck softly, she stopped swaying when she felt him. Moving over to kiss the top of Sophia's head, Olivia rested hers on his shoulder as she watched him, "hi"

"Hi"

"Is she asleep?"

Looking down at Sophie over her shoulder, he kissed her head again when he noticed she was fast asleep sucking on her pacifier. "Yep, she's fast asleep. Want me to take her?"

"Yes please" she told him already passing her over to him.

Gently taking her so as not to wake her, he laid her down in her bassinet as he reached out for Olivia's hand, "C'mon, let's go talk"

Closing the door to their daughter's nursery, he led his wife back to their bedroom determined to find out what was going on in that head of hers.

**TBC**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi Everyone! **

**I continue to be amazed by the incredible feedback and response to this story. Thank you all for reading, replying and going on this journey with me. On that note, a couple things about this chapter: **

**1) I write dialogue best when I put myself in the mindset of the characters so hopefully that comes across in the Olivia / Fitz interaction**

**2) I realize that I've been somewhat spoiling you with the happy, peaceful Olitz chapters so FAIR WARNING: enjoy this one because the next chapter is going to bring a bit of drama that's going to rock the Grants and the White House. **

**Until next time! xx**

* * *

_Leading his wife into their master bedroom, he released a tired yawn as he pulled her around to stand in front of him as he shut the door behind them. Placing a hand on his face, she tilted her head as she looked at him worriedly._

"You look tired" she stated matter of fact as he pulled her towards him and hugged her tight

"I _am_ tired. We have a brand new baby, I have the SOTU address to give to the country in a couple of days and this damn Kashfari crisis is turning into a monumental pain in my ass that just won't go away" he finished as he turned his head towards her neck to breathe her in for a moment as she played with the curls at the back of his head.

"What do you need Fitz?" she asked as she pulled back and held his face in her hands. He always knew that no matter what crisis or supposed impending doom he was dealing with, whenever Olivia held his face in her hands and looked at him in that Olivia Pope manner of hers, that everything would always somehow fall into place. He couldn't ever quite pinpoint what it was about that gesture that made everything around him stop spinning but whatever it was he was grateful for it.

"I need _you"_ he told her as he leaned in to kiss her softly and then leaned his forehead on hers. "I need to spend some quality time with my wife who just had my baby and not feel like this country owns me every single second of the day. I need some time to feel like a husband and father and enjoy my family" he told her as he leaned back and took a hold of her hand leading them over to their bed. "But enough about me, how are _you _doing? I feel like I didn't even see you today" he said to her as he pulled back the covers and climbed into bed inviting her to join him.

"I'm fine, just had a busy day running errands and visiting with Dr. Jameson for my post-delivery appointment" she told him easily as she climbed into bed and lay between his legs as he sat back up against the bed frame.

"You sure that's it? You've been kind of quiet and withdrawn lately" he told her as he wrapped his arms around her as she laid her head once more on his shoulder.

"I know and I'm sorry about that, it's just been a lot since I had Sophie"

"There's nothing for you to apologize for sweetheart, I just want to make sure you're okay because this isn't like you. Even Cyrus commented on the fact that he's barely seen you since you got home"

"Cyrus? Since when does he have enough free time to monitor my daily schedule? Are you not keeping him busy enough?" she asked as she lightly squeezed his leg.

"Ouch" he told her as he squeezed her leg in return, "I _am_ keeping him busy but you know Cyrus, he pays attention to everything"

"That he does" she told him releasing a sigh

"Livvie?"

"Hmm?"

"What's really going on with you? Please talk to me" he told her in a tone that she wasn't sure she'd ever heard come from him before. It was a mixture of concern, empathy and a desire to help her.

Thinking back to the conversation she'd had with Dr. Jameson earlier that afternoon and the promise that she'd made to herself and her husband to be completely honest about everything post Mellie debacle, she took a deep breath as she turned around to face him. Looking down at her hands, she braced herself for what he would say once she started talking.

"Fine, I'll tell you what's going on but you have to _promise me _that you won't judge me or think any less of me when I do. Deal?" she told him seriously as she raised an eyebrow at him.

Giving her a small smile, he kissed her forehead "Deal, but really? You think it's necessary to qualify whatever you're about to tell me by reminding me that I can't judge you? When have I ever?"

Sighing as she realized he was right, she placed her hands on his bare chest and ran them down until she reached the hem of his silk pajama pants and played with the strings in an effort to distract herself as she spoke.

"I went to see Dr. Jameson today because I haven't been feeling like myself lately. As much as I adore Sophie, since coming home I've just been completely and utterly exhausted in every sense of the word and I didn't know how to deal with it. I know you've been so busy with the SOTU and Kashfari that I didn't want to worry you any more than absolutely necessary so I've been parading around like I'm okay but really I'm not" she told him softly as she looked at him with tears welling up in her eyes.

Furrowing his eyebrows at her as he took her hands in his and intertwined their fingers, he released a small sigh, "Okay, what did Dr. Jameson say when you told her all of this?"

"She said I'm suffering from the baby blues or post-partum depression. She told me it's incredibly normal for new mothers to go through this since hormone levels are out of whack but that I should be getting back to normal soon. She suggested I talk to you about this so you know what's going on so I don't end up on that show 'Snapped' after suffering a massive breakdown" she told him with a smile trying to lighten the mood.

Seeing her genuinely smile for the first time that evening he smiled back knowing that whatever she was going through at least she was being open and honest about it which was the first step in them dealing with this, _together. _

"Thank you for telling me and being honest about it but I have to admit, I'm not all that surprised that that's what is going on with you"

"You're not?"

"No actually. Not to bring up a sore subject but Mellie also went through this and it lasted a few weeks until the kids got on a more stable sleeping pattern."

"Great, so now I'm Mellie" she told him a bit annoyed as she rolled her eyes

"**No **you're _Olivia" _he told her taking her face in his hands. "The only reason I mentioned that about Mellie was to let you know that Dr. Jameson is correct, this feeling of exhaustion and depression and whatever else you might be feeling is normal. Now the question is what do you need from me so we can start working through this?"

"I need for you to be patient with me as I figure this out. I need more sleep, that's for certain but I'm under no delusions that that'll be any easier than it is now considering she's only a couple weeks old but I'd like to try."

"We can definitely figure out how to do that. If that means I leave the office earlier and help out more with Soph, you just let me know what you need. And listen" he told her as he took a hold of her hands, "if you feel like you need to cry or scream or throw something or whatever else you think might be necessary during a particularly difficult moment, you go ahead and you do that okay? You just had a baby for crying out loud and it wasn't the easiest of deliveries so I'm under no illusions that you're just going to bounce back from all of this like it's no big deal."

Looking down at her hands as she held back tears she finally admitted the one thing she was most afraid of, "More than anything I just want to be a good mother and I don't want to let you or Sophie down" she started as her words caught in her throat slightly before she continued. "It's a huge deal being a new parent and knowing that you have a little life that depends on you for everything and that one simple mistake could change the course of things"

Giving her an understanding smile and nodding in agreement, he attempted to ease her fears, "yes, being a parent is a big deal but sweetie, no one is expecting you to _never _make a mistake, least of all me. **All **parents make mistakes whether we like to admit it or not but the trick is to not let those mistakes consume you. So long as we keep her health, safety and overall well-being top of mind in every decision we make for her and about her, I'd say we'll be just fine" he told her as cradled the side of her face and ran his thumb along her cheek. "You're also forgetting that you won't be parenting all by yourself. I'm here with you, every step of the way so if you _do _make a mistake, we'll figure it out together. Okay?" he asked raising his eyebrows wondering if she'd really heard him.

Releasing a relieved sigh as she took in his words, she couldn't help the tears that were now freely flowing. Taking a moment to wipe them away for her, he knew that there were still a few things she needed to get off her chest given the look on her face. "I hear what you're saying, I do, I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to balance being a wife, mother, First Lady and everything in between when I'm still figuring out how _not_ to cry at the drop of a hat" she told him in a bit of an exasperated tone as she looked up and wiped away the tears that would not stop falling.

"You do your best and allow yourself to have a crack in your Olivia Pope-Grant armor every so often, that's how." Shifting on the bed as he crossed his legs and scooted her closer to him, he placed his hands on her thighs as he continued, "I've been telling you this for years but you've refused to listen to me so maybe now that we have a baby it'll start to sink in" he told her with a knowing smile. "Livvie, you don't have to be everything for everyone _all _of the time. Are you an incredible woman in every sense of the word? Clearly, otherwise I wouldn't have fallen in love with you but you're also **human. **You have flaws and limitations and things that will be outside of your control sometimes and that's okay. As a parent the first thing you learn to let go of is the delusion that everything will always be as it seems. Kids are unpredictable, they're stubborn and they come with their own set of personality traits that we as parents will need to learn how to adjust to – just take Karen's knack for wanting to "fix" every guy she's attracted to for instance" he told her with a slight eye roll as she smiled.

"That's not a Karen thing honey, that's just a woman thing that we do until we know better"

"Whatever the case my point is, you need to learn to give yourself a break, cut yourself some slack and most important of all forgive yourself. Believe me, I've made my fair share of mistakes with Jerry, Karen and even Teddy and I'm sure I'll make some mistakes with Sophie as well but at the end of the day if my kids know that I love them beyond anything else in the world and that all I want is what's best for them? The rest usually falls into place" he finished as he leaned in to kiss her cheek and lingered there for a moment when he felt her leaning in to him.

Pulling back he looked at her with a look of adoration she swore made her heart melt on the spot, "Livvie, I _know you _and I know you have a heart of gold that will do whatever it takes to make sure our little girl grows up happy and healthy. I've never once doubted your ability to be a great mother and I certainly won't start now, okay?"

"Okay" she told him with a small smile as her tears finally stopped and her doubts began to ease. "So I have all of that but there's something else I'm going to need from you" she told him as she bit her bottom lip.

"Okay, what else?" he asked her with a smile

"I'd like to have my husband back if at all possible because I tell you what, between sharing you with an entire country and now our little girl, I'm beginning to feel a little neglected" she told him with a wink as she leaned in to kiss him as he smiled at her.

Holding her as he rolled them both over and he lay on top of her, he kissed down her body until he reached the top of her breasts before coming back up to her lips and kissing her soundly.

"Have I told you how much I **hate **having to wait six weeks before I can make love to you again?" he told her as he buried his face in her neck once more as he felt her giggling under his lips.

"You may have mentioned it once or twice"

"I swear that's nature's way of punishing men since we don't experience the labor pains you all go through" he deadpanned as he climbed off of her and spooned her from behind. "I love you and I hear you so whatever you need from me as you go through this, you let me know and it's yours, okay?"

Nodding as she turned her face to kiss him goodnight, she smiled as she turned back around, "I swear you're like a unicorn" she told him with a giggle

"A what?" he asked completely confused by the comparison

"You're a unicorn, too pretty and too good to be true but yet you're here – with me"

"Well that's certainly the first time I've ever been called that or compared to a mythical creature but I'll take it" he finished with a soft groan as he felt her run her leg up his as he pulled the covers over them.

Feeling him become instantly aroused by her gesture, she patted his leg, "down boy, you still got four weeks before you can have me" she finished with a smirk

"I swear if we didn't have a beautiful little girl I'd say to hell with the six weeks"

"Right and then our luck I'd end up pregnant with baby #2 in a matter of weeks. You want to talk about scandals? That'll make all the headlines"

"Least America will know that their president is incredibly virile" he told her with a smirk

"Excuse me mister, I don't need America knowing any more about you than they already know, least of all the fact that you have super sperm. _That _fact I reserve for myself, understood?"

Laughing softly as he heard (and felt her) get so incredibly protective over him and their relationship, he kissed her cheek as they turned in for the night, "yes ma'am!"

* * *

_T-2 days until the State of the Union address…_

Knocking on the Oval office door, she walked over to his desk and dropped off the latest revised version of his SOTU speech as he looked up at her.

"Move up the DREAM Act remarks to the top immediately after your opening and cut out the last paragraph entirely. It sounds trite and condescending, not an image you want to leave the American public with at the beginning of the political year. You want to come across like you're reaching across the aisle, not like you're alienating your base" she surmised quickly as she looked at him.

Leaning back in his chair as he looked at her impressed, he stood up to give her a quick kiss hello, "OPG saves the day again"

"That's why you married me" she told him as she began to walk towards the door

"Wait! Where are you going?" he asked her a bit confused as her visit had barely lasted longer than a few minutes

"I'm off to handle a few other things before the SOTU address. Time is of the essence and there's much to do before you get in front of those cameras" she told him as she stopped at the door turning around to face him

"You do realize that I've done six of these, right?" he told her amused

"Yes, but like I always tell you, the SOTU address is another opportunity for you to charm the pants of your Democratic rivals and potentially even get a couple hundred Democratic voters on your side. Never waste a political opportunity sweetheart" she told him with a wink.

"You sound like Cyrus!"

"I'm OPG baby" she told him as she opened the door and walked out leaving him smiling in her wake.

* * *

_Evening of the State of the Union address…_

Checking her watch as she walked down the hallway and up the stairs to her daughter's nursery, she could hardly contain the excitement that she felt. Evenings like these are what she lived for, the anticipation in the air was palpable and she knew that her husband was ready. She'd rehearsed with him for the past several days and he was ready to deliver one of the most memorable speeches he'd given in his tenure as president. Walking over to the bassinet where her little girl lay happily kicking her feet as she watched her spinning mobile, she picked her up and kissed her cheeks.

"Hi baby girl, you ready to get all fancy so we can go watch daddy speak to the country?" she told her as she walked her over to the changing table.

Olivia had to admit that although she would've been happy had she had a boy, having a little girl was so much fun. From the adorable little dresses, shoes and accessories that she could spoil her with to the insane amount of designer clothes that she would one day pass down to her, she was certainly enjoying having a little fashionista on her hands. Dressing her in a navy blue dress with a matching headband that had white accents on it that matched her shoes, she picked her up and looked at her.

"You are all set to go Ms. Sophie" she told her as she smiled at how cute she looked. "C'mon, let's go see daddy for a few minutes before he has to go"

Walking down the White House hallways en route to her husband's office, they could barely make it a few feet before someone stopped them to gush over Sophie and how cute she looked. Never one to deny anyone the joy of a new baby's presence, she was always incredibly gracious in allowing White House staffers to spend some time with their little one. It was endearing really, how different the vibe in the big White House suddenly was since the birth of their child. People seemed much happier and there was a tangible sense of care and excitement knowing that there were now two little Grants running around. With Teddy having just turned three years old and now Sophie being just a few weeks old, the Grants certainly were a busy bunch.

Reaching the door of the Oval, she noticed that it was wide open which meant that Fitz was just about ready to go. With his SS agents standing guard outside the door, they both smiled at her as they watched her approach.

"Evening Mrs. Grant" they said to her as they immediately went over to say hello to Sophie which caused the baby to smile at them.

"Hi, how are you?" she told them as she laughed softly already noticing that they were far too busy playing with Sophie to pay attention to anything she was currently saying. "Is Fitz ready to go?"

"Yes ma'am, I believe he's waiting for you" said Anthony as he ushered her in

Walking around the couch as he mumbled to himself rehearsing his speech one last time, she smiled watching him as she cradled Sophie to her, "you're ready honey, relax"

Looking over at his wife and daughter who wore matching blue outfits, Olivia impeccably dressed in a short navy blue dress that flared at the skirt and accentuated her already slim figure; he walked over to them reaching out for their baby.

"There are my girls" he told her as he kissed her softly and took Sophie from her arms, "you girls look incredible and you smell great too" he commented as he kissed Sophie's temple and breathed her in for a moment.

"You ready to do this?" she asked him as she adjusted his tie and straightened out his suite jacket

"Of course, I'm always ready" he told her with a confident smile. "I've rehearsed, I'll have my girls there with me and once tonight is over I can breathe and maybe even sleep in a little bit one of these mornings. That'll be a treat" he finished sarcastically as he shook his head.

Hearing a knock on the door, he looked up when Anthony poked his head inside, "Sir, sorry to interrupt but we need to get going"

Nodding over at him as he moved Sophie over to one side and took a hold of Olivia's hand with the other, they walked out of the Oval and towards their waiting limo.

Reaching the Congressional chambers, he gave his wife one final kiss as they prepared to part ways and take their respective positions. As he waited outside the chamber doors waiting to be announced, he winked over at his wife as she left his side.

_Ladies and Gentleman, the President of the United States…_

**TBC**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi Lovelies! Wow, this chapter turned out to be quite the doozy to write. I actually wrote two different versions of this chapter that both had a very different feel. I'll utilize bits and pieces of the version I _didn't _end up using in a future chapter or flashback, we'll see. A quick note about this chapter: there are quite a few flashbacks and time jumps weaved within it so be mindful of that when reading. Excited to hear your thoughts in your reviews and as always, thank you so much for reading! xx - B **

* * *

_There are moments in everyone's life where the circumstances or situations that you suddenly find yourself in require you to employ every ounce of strength, hope, courage, determination and will power that you have in order to overcome and survive it. For most, hopefully those moments are far and fleeting but for some… they completely change the trajectory of your life._

* * *

"Hurry, she's crashing!"

_Everything seemed to move in slow motion as he stood in the middle of the hallway and watched as doctors and nurses rushed into the two rooms that his wife and eldest daughter occupied. Running his fingers through his hair as he clung desperately to his composure, he let out a few slow breaths as he looked up and ran his hands down his face._

* * *

_**Flashback…**_

Going up the stairs, he walked into the bedroom to check on Olivia who was holding Sophia close to her.

"Livvie? You okay?"

Releasing a sigh as she looked out the window, she shook her head, "I don't know, I just woke up with a really bad feeling"

Furrowing his eyebrows he wasn't sure what kind of feeling she was referring to, "feeling like what? Like you're not feeling well?"

"No, no, an ominous feeling like something bad is going to happen" she told him as she shook her head to clear her thoughts and gave him a small smile. "Never mind, it's probably nothing and I'm just being silly"

_**End Flashback…**_

_A million thoughts ran through his mind as he recalled the conversation they'd had earlier that morning. Why hadn't he listened to her and heeded her warning? Her gut was __**never **__wrong and he knew better than to ever question it. Closing his eyes shut as he collapsed on a seat outside her door and listened to the medical staff work on her, he punched the seat next to him in frustration. As he sat and replayed the past several hours, he suddenly realized that she hadn't been the only one to warn him. _

_**Flashback…**_

"Sir, the roads are pretty bad going back up to the highway. The guys and I have been monitoring the weather reports since early this morning but its imperative we leave fairly soon if we plan on making it out of here today"

"Okay that shouldn't be a problem, Liv and the kids are almost all ready to go. Did it snow last night or something? That looks like a fresh coat since last I went outside" he stated as he looked over Tom's shoulder to the road behind him.

"Yes sir, we got another 7 inches last night so it's looking pretty terrible out there. Is there any way that you and the family can stay another night until it clears up tomorrow and driving conditions are a bit better?"

"I wish I could but I have to get back to the White House tonight. I have a Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting that I need to be present for tomorrow"

"Okay then, do you mind if we start loading up the bags into the vans? That way you all can simply climb in and we'll get going once you're ready"

"Sounds great, bags are by the door. I'll go and rush the troops so we leave here as quickly as possible."

"That'd be great sir, thank you"

_**End Flashback…**_

_Looking up towards the nurse's station as the tears he'd been holding at bay finally threatened to spill over, he placed his hands over his mouth as he thought about the irony of the entire situation. Why hadn't he listened to them? It had all happened so fast…_

Quickly going around the house to make sure all the lights were off and everything was locked, Fitz looked around one more time before turning towards the SUVs that awaited them. With the President, First Lady and First Kids in tow, there wasn't a shortage of SS agents that needed to accompany them which required no less than three SUVS. Per their cardinal rule, Olivia and Fitz never traveled together if they had any of the kids traveling with them. Back when they had established this rule between them and their assigned security detail, Olivia reasoned that it was just good sense to have them travel separately in case anything were to ever happen. Climbing into the front car with Karen and Teddy, Fitz climbed into the second car with Jerry and Sophia. Radioing the tailing SUVs that everyone was onboard and accounted for, the First Family had taken off for the White House.

The drive to the main highway from the compound took no more than 30 minutes on any other day but today was different. With seven new inches of freshly fallen snow, it made the drive twice as long and twice as treacherous. As Fitz kept a close eye on the storm outside, he looked out of the front window to see how the other SUV was holding up against the weather.

"Tom, are you sure we're going to be able to make it to the highway? It doesn't look like these roads have been plowed or salted yet"

Squinting as he tried to make out the road in front of him, Tom wasn't sure, "I hope so sir, otherwise we're going to have to turn back and wait this storm out"

For several more minutes he watched the storm outside his window when he suddenly felt himself thrust forward in his seat as Tom slammed on the brakes. Immediately looking up to check on the SUV in front of them which carried Olivia, Karen and Teddy, he released a gut-wrenching scream as he watched the car spin out of control, ricochet off a tree and come to a halt after slamming into the divide. With the horn blaring, he released himself from his seat belt as Jerry and Tom screamed after him.

With all three men running towards the SUV, it was a matter of seconds before the remaining SS agents were out of their cars and running towards the President and the First Family. Opening the back door, Tom caught Karen as she fell limply into his arms. With a trail of blood running from her forehead, Jerry grabbed her legs as they laid her down on the ground to check on her. Opening the other door, Fitz gasped as he saw an unconscious Olivia who fell sideways onto him. Cradling her in his arms as Anthony and the other agents came to help him, he vaguely remembered hearing someone radioing for help and him telling the other agents to check on Teddy and Sophia.

Shortly after the accident, emergency vehicles had surrounded the scene taking Olivia and Karen to the nearest hospital as Fitz, the other kids and their entire Secret Service detail followed them.

* * *

_Seventy-two hours ago he was the happiest he'd ever been and now, seventy-two hours later he sat in a hospital corridor praying that it all wasn't taken away from him._

_**Flashback...**_

_The scene was perfectly set to spend a few peaceful, uninterrupted days with his family. After going full throttle for months on end, he was ready to have a few moments to breathe. From the Kashfari crisis that had drained him of all energy, patience and political acumen that he had in his arsenal, to the demands of being a husband, father and everything in between, he was emotionally, physically and mentally depleted. To that end, it had been several weeks since his talk with Olivia where he realized for the first time that she'd shared her deepest fears in a very real and vulnerable way, unlike she ever had before – at least with him. Sure she had been honest before but this time it was different. This time she was admitting that she was scared to fail and be a failure as a mother, something which she herself admitted not knowing if she was cut out to do. This time she trusted him to be there and back her up and be her support as she stumbled through this very unknown and uncertain path that she now found herself in. This time, they were both one and the same and no guards were up. It was real, it was raw and it was intimate. They had finally become equal partners within their marriage, in every sense of the word. _

_With a newfound resolve to spend more time with his family, he was anxiously awaiting the family's getaway to Camp David that would include all four of his children. This would mark the first time in over 6 months that he would have all of his kids, plus the newest addition, all in one room. Per the custody agreement with Mellie, the kids had spent Christmas with her this year and would have their turn to spend it with Fitz and Liv in the upcoming year. Taking care to ensure that he got ahead with as much work as possible before he left, he informed Cyrus that come hell or high water he, Olivia and the kids __**would **__leave for Camp David as scheduled. Since the last several attempts to leave for the compound had been thwarted by one crisis or another, he wasn't changing plans for anything – family trumped presidency. International and domestic affairs would simply have to wait. _

_Leaving the Oval that evening and walking up the stairs to the private residence, he stopped by Sophie's nursery to check on her and kiss her goodnight per his usual nightly ritual. Walking over to her crib and not seeing her, he furrowed his eyebrows wondering where she was when the sound of Olivia's voice came softly through the baby monitor. Listening to his wife engage in a conversation with their little girl, he smiled as he leaned against the doorframe and listened intently. _

"…_and your brothers Teddy and Jerry and sister Karen are all going to be there and they're going to play with you and love on you and probably keep you up way past your bedtime but that's okay because they all love you very much. In fact, everyone loves you very much just like your daddy and I do. You have Uncles Tom, Cyrus and Harrison already wrapped around your little finger and let's not even talk about your daddy!" _

_Releasing a soft chuckle as he listened to her very astute observation, he couldn't help but shake his head as he realized that she was absolutely right. Even Cyrus who proclaimed to not like children (although he had finally agreed to adopt a baby with James) became completely enthralled with his little girl whenever she was in the room. It was as if Sophie cast a special spell over everyone she came into contact with and he could not be more proud. A future politician in the making if ever he saw one! Licking his lips as he turned to walk towards his bedroom, he closed the door quietly and walked down the hallway. _

Opening the door to their bedroom, he smiled over at his wife as he watched her nurse their little girl. Walking over to the bed, he supported himself on his hands as he leaned down to kiss Sophia softly on her cheek which caused her to momentarily stop nursing and release an adorable little sigh as she fluttered her eyelashes up at her dad. Smiling down at her he leaned back up to kiss his wife on her lips.

"Hi baby" he told her as he leaned in again for another kiss

"Hi, you all done for the night?"

Straightening up to go change into his pajamas, he responded as he changed "yeah, I figured I can finish the rest tomorrow before the kids get here. I should have a few hours to tie things up before we leave for Camp David."

Walking over to the bed and climbing into his side, he leaned down and kissed the top of Sophie's head, "she's getting so big already"

Playing with her hand as she looked down at her, she adjusted her slightly as Sophia started to wake up when she heard Fitz's voice, "yeah, I can't believe she's already 2 months old. This little itty bitty thing that I gave birth to a few weeks ago is growing up so quickly" she commented in a wistful voice as she sighed.

Leaning up to kiss her neck softly and then her cheek, he leaned his head on her shoulder as he looked down at their little girl, "she's growing up quickly but that doesn't mean we can't have another little one."

Looking over at him she raised an eyebrow in his direction, "Grant, is that your not-so-subtle way of telling me you already want another one?"

"Livvie I'd want a hundred kids with you if it was possible but yeah, I'd like to have at least one or two more with you before we officially call it a wrap on the baby making business" he told her with a smile.

"One or two more? Do you realize you'd then be a father to six children?"

"So? Back in the day families consisted of 12 and 13 kids" he told her as he kissed her shoulder.

"Honey, we're in 2013, those days are long gone and believe me, I'm not popping out 12 kids for you. I love you to the ends of the Earth but that's where I draw my line" she told him in her trademark no nonsense tone.

Smirking as he shook his head he eased her fears, "Liv, I'm not asking for twelve more kids, just one more, possibly two if I can charm you into it" he finished easily as he bit his bottom lip in that damning charming way of his.

"Lord, does this mean you're officially launching your 'get-Liv-pregnant-again campaign?" she asked good-naturedly as she looked over at her smiling husband who had a gleam in his eyes.

"I'm not saying a word but like you always tell me, as a candidate you always need to be prepared" he finished with a smile as he leaned up to kiss her.

Shaking her head as she looked down at their little girl who had now stopped nursing and had effectively fallen asleep listening to her parents bicker, she eased Sophia off of her and propped her up on her shoulder. Rubbing her back for a moment, she looked over at Fitz. "Do you mind burping her while I get ready for bed?"

Reaching over to take hold of Sophie, he kissed her cheek several times before he laid her on his chest and began burping her. Watching them for several moments, Olivia walked into their master bathroom to change. Looking down at Sophia after several minutes, he got up to go lay her down in her nursery. With a final check to make sure she was settled for the night, he closed the door behind him and headed back to his bedroom.

Looking over at the clock on the nightstand when he returned, he looked over at the bathroom door when he noticed that Olivia still had not come out. Fixing the pillows behind his head, he was about to call out for her when his words caught in his throat as he watched her walk towards him. Dressed in a beautiful white satin baby doll nightie, she bit her bottom lip as she walked over to him. Sitting up in bed, he didn't have any words as she crawled over to him and began to kiss his cheek and worked her way down to his neck.

"Honey, do you know what today is?"

"Hmm" was all he could muster as he entangled his fingers in her hair and closed his eyes at the feel of her.

"It's been more than six weeks since I had Sophie" she said trailing off as she moved over to the other side of his neck to continue her sweet torture on him.

"Uh huh" was all she got in return when she pulled back and saw him with his eyes closed

"Fitz"

"Mmm, huh? Why'd you stop?" he asked confused as he finally opened his eyes and ran his hands down her sides pulling her down to him

"Because you're not listening to me"

"I'm not listening because you're making that incredibly difficult sweetheart" he protested weakly

"I know I am and that's the point!" she told him beginning to become annoyed

"Point of what?"

Boy, he could _really _be such a man sometimes, "Fitz, do you know what today is?"

Furrowing his eyebrows as he mentally ran through the calendar, he was at a complete loss for what today could possibly be. As a man, he knew that he'd be in for it if he'd forgotten a special holiday but for the life of him he just couldn't figure out what today was.

"I know it's not our anniversary or your birthday" he started quickly, "its not Valentine's Day or Mother's Day yet"

Sitting on his lap, she cocked her head to the side as she looked at him amused, "you've clearly been way too busy or too stressed out if you don't know what today is. Why do you think I'm wearing this honey?" she asked as she looked down at herself

"Because I've been a _**very **_good husband?" he asked hopefully as he raised an eyebrow

Laughing softly as she took his face in her hands, she kissed him passionately and smiled when she heard his soft moan. Slipping her tongue into his mouth, she entangled her fingers in his soft curls as she felt him lifting up the back of her negligée to run his hands across her bare back. Nipping his lips softly as she continued to kiss him, she finally answered her own question; "It's been more than six weeks since I had Sophie which means we can officially make love again"

Pulling his face back he looked at her with a gleam in his eyes, "well why didn't you say so?"

Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled them both over until he was lying on top of her. Settling himself between her legs, he wasted no time in reacquainting himself with his wife. The kiss began softly but quickly turned urgent as she ran her leg up his thigh and he worked the straps of her negligée down her arms. Releasing her lips, he moved over to her neck as he cradled the side of her face and began to slowly move on top of her. Kissing his way from her neck to her chest, he was driving her absolutely crazy. Reaching her breasts, he took the left one into his mouth as his hand massaged the other running his thumb slowly over her nipple. Closing her eyes in complete ecstasy, she arched up towards him as she fisted his hair in her hands moaning his name. Taking his time to lick and suck every part of her as he continued his sweet assault on her breasts, she bit her bottom lip as she felt herself become increasingly aroused.

Raking her fingers over his back, he smiled into her chest when he tasted her sweet nectar realizing he'd aroused her enough to cause her to leak slightly. Flicking his tongue over her nipple, he looked up at her as he licked his lips.

"Now I know why Sophie's so attached to you. You taste incredible" he told her seductively as he moved up her body and swallowed the moan that escaped her lips. Rolling them over so she sat on top of him, she kept her eyes glued on him as she slowly removed her nightgown. Running his hands up her body as he looked at her in complete awe, she smiled at his expression.

"You have _no_ idea how much I've missed you" he told her as he intertwined their hands and brought her back down to his lips

"I have _some _idea" she told him with a small giggle as she gave herself over to her husband and they made love into the wee hours of the morning.

_**End Flashback…**_

* * *

_2 days ago: _

Walking into the Oval office, she smiled over at him as she made her presence known, "all hail the chief!" she said with a small laugh as she saluted him and walked into his open arms.

"Hi sweetheart" he told her as he hugged her tightly and kissed her cheek.

"Hi dad, you're looking good especially for someone who has a 2 month old" she told him with a smile as she leaned back and held him at arm's length giving him a once over.

"Yeah well, after going through hell with you and your brothers I figured I have this down to a science" he joked good-naturedly as he brought her in for another hug. "I've missed you Kare bear" he told her with a smile as he swayed them both gently in the embrace.

"Missed you too, but good news is you'll soon have a college-bound freshman on your hands attending school hopefully not too far from your office so you can spy on me all you want" she told him as she pulled back and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't spy, I protect and by 'I' I mean Tom and the guys do" he corrected quickly as he walked around to his desk and she took a seat on the corner of it playing with the trinkets that lay there.

"Whatever, you're just lucky that Jerry and I love the guys otherwise it'd be a real pain in the a-"

"Aye, watch your mouth" he told her quickly raising an eyebrow at her

"Sorry Mr. President" she mocked softly as she stood up and walked around his desk towards the pictures that sat by the window. Picking up a picture of baby Sophia she asked, "Where are Liv and the little one?"

"Liv is probably still getting ready and Sophie is in her nursery if she's not with Liv. You should go upstairs and hang out with them for a bit before we leave"

"On my way!" she told him as she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Liv is so much cooler than you anyway"

"You know what? I think you skipped that lesson in boarding school where they explained how cool I was that I'm your father _and _the president of the United States"

Laughing as she walked towards the door she stopped when she heard him addressing her again, "by the way, where's your older brother?"

"Who knows, probably out on the South Lawn trying to convince Harold to let him fly Marine One" she said with a shrug as she shook her head.

Shaking his head after her he wondered how in the world he was going to convince all of his children to stop giving him gray hairs. From Jerry and Karen who were now both teenagers to Teddy and Sophia his littlest ones, he suddenly realized that he, Olivia and Mellie all had their work cut out for them.

* * *

Knocking softly on the bedroom door, she entered when she heard Olivia's voice. Turning around to see who had come in, she smiled as she saw her stepdaughter who was turning into quite the beautiful young woman. Karen was tall, with her mother's dark hair and father's eyes. She was a volleyball player so her athletic build made for her having model good looks and stature which did little to calm her father's anxiety over having such an attractive teenager as a daughter.

Hugging her tightly, she was genuinely happy to see her, "Hi honey, you look stunning!" she told her as she pulled back and looked her up and down. "Has your father seen you yet?"

"Yes he has, I gave him a heart attack before I came up here so we're right on schedule with giving the old man a coronary before the weekend is through" Karen told her with an exaggerated smile as Olivia pinched her arm playfully.

"Stop it, you know how he gets every time you and Jerry come over" she told her with a smile as she watched her walk over to their bed where Sophia was playing with a plush toy

"My goodness Liv she's gotten so big since the last time I saw her!" sitting down on the bed, she picked up her baby sister and brought her into her lap as she hugged her.

"Well the last time you and Jerry saw her was a couple weeks after she was born so yeah, peanut's grown since then"

Lifting her up to eye-level much like her father usually did with her, she smiled and kissed her chubby cheeks as Sophia gurgled at her, "hi Soph! So how many guys has dad put on your Secret Service detail huh? He can get a little nutso sometimes but he's a great dad, you just need to get used to his crazy, over-protective ways" she told her kid sister as Liv shook her head and smiled at them.

"He's not so bad Kare, he might have his occasional moments but he means well"

"I know, I just like to bust his chops because I know how much he stresses out about it"

"Well and who can blame him? The Grant gene pool is quite impressive. I mean look at you! If you weren't heading straight to college I wouldn't be surprised if a modeling agency came knocking on your door and let's not even talk about your brother" she told her with a raised eyebrow

"Oh you mean Mr. Charmer?" she said with an eye roll, "I swear Jerry has more girlfriends and girls falling all over themselves for him than he knows what to do with"

"Well he is a very attractive young man, I can see why girls would be interested in him. That and he's a Grant with the trademark Grant eyes so that right there is a recipe for a resident heartbreaker" she told her as she finished zipping up her bag for the weekend

"I can't even with him. I swear, I run more interference on girls coming to me wanting advice for how to get over him than anything else. All I'm saying is he's going to miss me once I graduate next year and he's left fending for himself with the estrogen overload at school"

"I'm sure he'll figure it out" Liv told her as she walked over to her, kissed her forehead and took Sophia from her hands. "C'mon, we're all packed up here so we're ready to go"

Walking out behind her she couldn't help but notice how well Olivia had bounced back post-pregnancy, "hey Liv, are you sure you gave birth just two months ago?"

"Yeah why?"

"You look good!" she told her with a smile as she fell in step with her and walked downstairs to where her father and brothers waited.

* * *

_Present Day:_

Standing up, he wiped his tears away and cleared his throat as he toughened up and walked towards Olivia's room. Had roles been reversed he knew she would be holding it together much better than he was currently doing and he almost smiled at the thought that she would tell him to 'buck up' and face this. Holding his breath as the doctor walked towards him, he gestured for them to speak outside in the hallway so as not to disturb her.

"Doc, how are my girls?" he asked in as assured a manner as he could muster so he wouldn't break down crying in the hallway.

Releasing a breath as the doctor looked up at him, he nodded his head and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "Mr. President, your wife and daughter are both stable."

Seeing the sigh of relief that Fitz released he continued, "Karen's injuries were not at all life threatening though she'll be nursing a nasty bump to the head for the next few days. We're keeping her overnight for observation to make sure everything's okay but the extent of her injuries are a few bruised ribs and a concussion that we'll monitor overnight."

"And Olivia?" he asked worriedly as he braced himself for the worst

"Your wife was a different story. The extent of her injuries was more of a concern because she took the brunt of the impact. We had a close call there for a moment when she crashed on us post surgery but we were able to stabilize her and she's now resting."

"What's her prognosis? Will she be okay?"

"Yes Mr. President, I expect that she'll make a full recovery though she may not be able to get around too easily for the next month or so" he told him as he led him over to take a seat as he continued explaining. "She suffered a collapsed lung and ruptured spleen which required emergency surgery. She also has three broken ribs, a concussion and some bumps and bruises but overall, she's a very lucky woman to have gotten off with only those as injuries given the report from the medical team on site."

Releasing another sigh of relief as he looked down silently thanking everyone and everything that had kept his girls safe, he looked back up at the doctor. "Is there anything I can do for them now?"

"Not right now. They're both sleeping as comfortably as they can given their respective injuries but I expect Olivia to be waking up within a few hours. She'll be in a lot of pain and may not remember much about what happened so I'd like to keep her here for the next few days just to make sure everything is as it should be."

"And when can we take Karen home?"

"I'll discharge her tomorrow, prescribe her some painkillers and make an appointment to see her back here within the week"

"Thank you Dr. Cline, for everything you've done for my girls" he said looking over at the doctor appreciatively.

"Of course Mr. President. I'll be on call all night if you need anything. Just have one of the nurse's page me"

* * *

Going into Karen's room, he walked over to her and held her hand as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Rustling slightly in her bed when she felt him, she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey kiddo, you gave me quite a scare there. How you feeling?"

Clearing her throat as she squinted her eyes, she gratefully took the cup of water he offered her. Taking a much needed sip as her mouth felt completely dry, she looked over at him.

"This sucks. I feel like I got run over by a 4x4" she told him rolling her eyes slightly as she held her head. "My head is pounding."

Letting out a small chuckle for the first time that evening, he squeezed her hand gently, "yeah well, you got a pretty nasty concussion from what the doctor tells me and you also have some bruised ribs. It's going to hurt to breathe for a little while but they've got you pretty drugged up now so you shouldn't feel too much pain"

"Do I get to take this fun little morphine drip home with me too?"

Smirking as he looked down at her he shook his head, "no but Dr. Cline is going to prescribe some pain meds for you so those should help once you're released tomorrow."

Looking down for a moment, she finally addressed the elephant in the room, "Dad? How's Liv? Is she okay?"

Biting his lip as tears began to well up in his eyes, he blinked them away quickly, "Liv's going to be just fine, thank goodness. She's pretty banged up and will need to stay here for a few days but she's going to be okay"

Squeezing his hand she smiled at him, "Dad, go be with her. I appreciate you being here and checking on me but you need to be with Liv. I've had concussions before and I know how to deal with them. You go with Liv and I'll stay here trying to get some rest until the nurses wake me up every 30 minutes to make sure I'm not brain damaged" she joked slightly as he leaned down and kissed her forehead again.

"Okay, but I'm sending Jerry in here to sit with you so you're not by yourself"

"Dad, I'm 18, I'll be fine" she told him with an amused smile

"You're still my little girl and I want to make sure you're okay" he told her squeezing her hand as he prepared to walk out.

Reaching the door, he turned around when he heard her, "hey dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you please give Liv a hug for me and tell her I'm praying for her?"

Giving her a small smile and nod, he walked out of her room and toward Olivia's.

* * *

Slowing walking over towards his wife, he couldn't help but notice how small and fragile she looked. She was a force to be reckoned with on any normal day but tonight, she looked small. With medical equipment beeping around her monitoring everything from her heart rate to the dosage of her pain medication, he wanted nothing more than to take all of this pain away from her. Seeing the bandages on her arms, he looked her up and down to make sure nothing else seemed "broken" or out of place. Her face, thankfully, had been completely unscathed and he smiled knowing that she would be really happy about that when she woke up. Lowering the guardrail on her bed, he leaned down and kissed her forehead as he ran his hand down her hair and let silent tears fall from his eyes.

"I'm sorry Livvie, I'm so, so sorry"

He was wracked with guilt over the events of that evening and in his own way was trying to find some solace in the quiet of her room. He was sorry that he hadn't paid attention but he was even more sorry that his poor judgment call had landed Olivia and Karen in the hospital. Rather than listen, he'd put his entire family's safety at risk because he needed to get back to what was now an inconsequential security briefing at the White House that he wouldn't even be attending anyway.

Being careful not to jostle her too much, he gently lay down next to her and rested his head against hers as he held her hand. Running this thumb across the top of her hand in smooth, gentle strokes, he let out a breath as he closed his eyes. With Teddy and Sophia safely back at the White House with their nannies, Jerry sitting with Karen and their SS detail standing guard outside he finally allowed himself a moment to take it all in. Life was fragile and in an instant it all could have taken a very drastic turn – one that neither he nor Olivia would have been prepared for. As he listened to the monitors beep and continuously reassure him every few seconds that her heart was still in fact beating, he cradled the side of her face as he kissed her forehead, her nose, her cheek and finally her lips.

Holding her face close to his, his eyes widened when he thought he felt her moving next to him. With a small groan as she came to, he looked into the most beautiful eyes he'd sworn he'd ever seen.

"Hi"

With a grateful sigh he'd nodded, "Hi"

**TBC**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thank you as always for your amazing reviews and to new readers - welcome! Enjoy this latest chapter - B **

_The days immediately following the accident were a complete blur. Between worrying about Karen and Olivia and dealing with Mellie's completely unfounded accusations that terrible things always seemed to happen to her children whenever his wife was around them, he'd had just about enough. It had taken two SS agents to restrain her when she'd arrived at the hospital and immediately began berating him the minute she laid eyes on him as he walked out of Karen's room. Judging from the surprised and somewhat shocked expressions of the surrounding hospital staff, her behavior certainly did not cast her in the best light. While he found her exaggerated display of motherly concern completely unnecessary, he also remembered that Mellie was a conniving manipulator first and foremost. Lay an opportunity at her feet to gain public sympathy and you could be assured that she would not only take it but also capitalize on it for weeks to come. _

_As expected, Karen was cleared and discharged the day after she was admitted and reluctantly had gone home with her mother and brothers. Promising to have her back soon to visit, he'd said goodbye to her and gone home to spend some time with his littlest one. Though she was only 2 months old, the bond that she had with Olivia was undeniable and it was as if she knew that her mother, for the time being, wasn't okay and wasn't home. She'd been uncharacteristically fussy since Olivia had been in the hospital and no amount of soothing back rubs or long walks along the Rose Garden seemed to sooth her. More than anything he hated seeing his children in pain and although she was perfectly healthy, she missed her mother and was making sure everyone knew it. _

_After several sleepless nights caring for an overly fussy newborn, he'd decided that he would bring her to the hospital to spend some much needed time with Olivia. Maybe then he could get a few hours of sleep knowing that he'd given them both the one thing they needed most at the moment. Going against doctor's orders that carrying anything over five pounds would feel excruciating for her given her recent surgery and rib injuries, Fitz had explained that he knew his wife and what she needed. She wasn't one to lay down and be idle for long and she certainly wasn't one to go more than a few days without seeing her little girl if she could at all help it. Promising to be careful with her and not cause her any more pain, Dr. Cline had agreed. Heading back to the White House to pick up his daughter, he smiled when he saw how much more contented she suddenly seemed at seeing him. His ego wanted to say that she was happy to see him but something bigger actually told him that somehow, someway she knew she was going to see Olivia. Maybe that all-knowing instinct that Olivia possessed was a quality that she had passed on to their little girl? Whatever it was, she truly was her mother's daughter._

* * *

"Hi honey, how're you feeling?" he asked as he walked in to her hospital room cradling Sophia to his chest

"Better now that my baby is here"

"Your baby huh? Now would that be me or her?"

"Cute, give me my little peanut, I've missed her" she told him reaching for Sophie and wincing slightly as she did so.

Being mindful not to make her stretch too much as her midsection was still incredibly sore, he lay Sophia carefully on her chest as she closed her eyes at the sensation.

"Hi baby girl, I've missed you"

Closing the door to her hospital room, he took a seat next to her bed and released a small sigh as he watched the scene in front of him.

"Fitz? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just – "

"You're worried and you're thinking. What's going on?"

There were times, many in fact, when he truly appreciated his wife's uncanny knack for intuitively knowing what was going on with everything and everyone around her but at this present moment he hated it.

"I've just been thinking a lot the past few days since you've been in here"

"Clearly, want to share what about?"

Taking a deep breath he knew that he couldn't implore her to be honest with him and yet he turned around and kept things from her. A solid marriage couldn't be built on a foundation of hypocrisy.

"You and the kids being in that accident really shook me up and I've been trying to figure out a way to deal with it"

Nodding slowly she knew that it was only a matter of time before the guilt inevitably crept up in him and threatened to drive him crazy, "Fitz, why are you feeling guilty about this?"

"What? I'm not –"

"Please, don't insult my intelligence by lying to me and telling me that I'm off base about this. I know you, sometimes better than you know yourself, so give me credit for that"

"I'm not insulting your intelligence"

"Then mind telling me why you're blaming yourself for this?"

"Honestly? Because if it hadn't been for my stupid insistence on returning to the White House for the Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting, none of this would've happened"

"Right, because you're suddenly psychic and you know that with 100% certainty?"

"Liv-"

"No, I'm serious! How do you know that this wouldn't have happened the next day? The roads were terrible Fitz and it was a freak accident that could've happened to anybody"

"Well it shouldn't have happened to you or my kids, I should've known better!" he told her raising his voice.

"Fitz, you really need to get over this God-like complex you've developed since you've been in office where you believe that anything and everything that happens to me or the kids is under your control. You don't control everything Fitz" she told him in a stern tone that dared him to say anything to the contrary.

"Pot meet kettle and I do _not _have a God-like complex" he told her annoyed

"Whatever" she mumbled under her breath as she shifted Sophia and kissed her cheek

"Olivia –" he started as he let out a frustrated groan and ran his hands down his face, "why do we do this?"

"Do what?"

"Go at each other every time something big or dramatic happens to one of us" he asked her truly trying to understand that part of their relationship dynamic.

"We do it because we love each other and we're scared and worried for the other person" she started softly. "I knew you were going to do this so I'm asking you to stop. Just _**stop**__."_

"Livvie –"

"No Fitz, I'm not going to sit here and listen to you list the countless reasons how or why this was somehow your fault" she stated a bit more angrily than she'd intended. "Did I have a bad feeling that day? Yes, but hell you know what, I get those types of feelings all the time and more often than not things usually turn out just fine. "

"You could've died damn it, or worse!" he told her angrily as he stood up and began to pace around the room

"Do _not _yell at me and especially in front of her" she said narrowing her eyes at him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, I'm-"

"I know you're scared but that doesn't mean that you start going back on everything you've ever said to me about being open and honest with each other. If you expect that from me, than you owe me the same in return."

Halting his pacing, he bit his lip as he looked up at the ceiling, "I never want to come that close to losing you again, do you understand me?"

"Yes, I do but do _you _understand that it was an accident? That it could've happened to any one of us? Jerry didn't do anything wrong that day. He was driving carefully and before we knew it the car was skidding and we were saying hello to the divide in the middle of the road"

"Don't make light of this Olivia" he told her sternly

"I'm not making light of anything. I'm simply trying to make you see that you couldn't have prevented what happened any more than I could have. I am _fine. _Well, minus the broken ribs, ruptured spleen and sexy bruises I'll be sporting for a few weeks" she finished with a small smile when she saw him finally crack one of his own.

"You are the most incredibly infuriating woman I have ever met" he said shaking his head as he walked over to them and sat next to her and Sophia on the bed.

"Tell me something I don't know, for example like when can I get out of here? I hate hospitals"

"Doc said you should be released tomorrow but no heavy lifting for a couple weeks until your ribs heal properly"

"That's impossible, we have a baby and-"

"And we also have plenty of help and two rotating nannies. Don't start with me on this Livvie" he told her effectively ending their discussion as she gave him an annoyed sigh.

"I'm going to take care of you and everything else will be taken care of, including this little one right here" he told her as he stroked Sophia's cheek who was intently watching the both of them converse as if she knew what was actually going on.

Standing up, he leaned over to kiss her forehead as he reached for Sophia, "It's getting late. I'm going to take her home so you can rest. Maybe tonight she won't be so fussy and will actually sleep for a few hours"

Looking back at her mother as she realized she was being taken away from her, she scrunched her face into a pout and let out a loud wail as Fitz brought her in to his chest rubbing her back attempting to sooth her.

Holding back her own tears, Olivia reached up and held her hand, "it's okay sweetie, mommy will be home tomorrow"

Looking down and seeing the big tears that fell down her face, he cradled the back of her head and closed his eyes briefly. Giving his wife a quick kiss on the lips, he nodded towards the door, "I'm going to go before she gets more upset. She'll be okay, don't worry"

Choking back her own tears as she watched them walk to the door she called out to him, "Fitz?"

"Yes?"

"I may be infuriating but I do love you. Don't forget that okay?"

Nodding slowly as he looked down, he responded, "I won't"

* * *

"Christ Liv, if you wanted attention you could've simply had a wardrobe malfunction like any other red blooded American, you didn't have to ram an SUV into a highway divider" Abby quipped sarcastically leaning over to hug her gently when she stopped by a couple hours later.

Leave it to Abby Whelan to come in like a hurricane – fast, furious and unyielding.

"Hi Abby"

"Hey yourself, seriously Liv, what is it with you and hospitals? Unless James Madison has upgraded to some celebrity chef that I didn't know about while I was saving politician's asses from being splattered all over creation, what's the appeal?"

"There _is _no appeal, I hate being in this place as much as the next person but you know how doctors can be. You break a few ribs and rupture your spleen and suddenly that means you get a free ticket to a 4-day stay in this joint"

"I'll say" she commented rolling her eyes. "In all seriousness though, are you okay? _Will _you be okay?"

"Yes and yes. SUV got caught in some bad weather leaving Camp David –"

"You all seriously went up there again and didn't tell me?"

"Don't worry, I've already told Fitz and he said he'll work on it"

"Whatever, I'm having words with your husband" she told her only half-jokingly. "Speaking of incredibly attractive husbands that happen to be presidents, I'm surprised he isn't here holding vigil by your bedside"

"Vig-, I'm not dying Abby and plus, he was here earlier with Sophia and left not too long before you arrived"

"How are the rest of the Grants holding up? I saw Tom outside and he said Karen was admitted but everyone else was okay?" she asked as she took a seat.

"Yeah, Karen was discharged the day before yesterday and Teddy, thankfully, was sitting in between she and I so he was spared completely."

"There you go trying to be a hero again" she told her with an eye roll

"Whelan" she said warningly

"Fine I'm sorry, you know I don't deal well with tragedies and shit"

"I know. In other news, how are the rest of my people?"

"Still breathing and not laying up in some hospital unlike someone else we know. Harrison is dating some new chick"

"Do you approve?" she asked knowing that Abby's approval bar was unrealistically high and it was a damn miracle that Fitz had even met it – if only _after_ they'd officially gotten married.

"I don't trust her but then again, I don't trust too many people so I could be judging her prematurely"

"Wouldn't shock me" she deadpanned

"Yeah well whatever, he'll probably move on to the next one in a couple weeks."

"And Quinn and Huck? How are they?"

"Oh baby Huck!" she exclaimed with an exaggerated smile, "that one's a keeper. I tell you what, I've never seen someone develop their spidey senses so quickly. I'm keeping an eye on her though, before she becomes a gun wielding psycho, like your favorite red head" she told her with a small laugh and a wink.

* * *

_3 weeks. It had been three weeks since she was released from the hospital and she was about to lose her mind. Fitz's constant hovering, though at first endearing, had now officially become annoying. The entire White House staff had been under strict orders that under no circumstances should Olivia be doing any heavy lifting or over-exerting herself. She was a grown woman and she felt like she was being treated like a child and she hated it. Checking on Sophia and seeing that she was sound asleep for her afternoon nap, she'd returned to her office to do some work. She looked through the documents in her hand but after re-reading the same sentence for the fifth time and still not computing what it was saying, she let out a frustrated groan and picked up the phone. _

"Yes Olivia?"

"Oh honey, could you come to my office please?"

Raising his eyebrows knowing full well that her sarcastic tone meant nothing good, he'd nodded on his end, "be right there"

Straightening out her dress, she smiled when she heard a knock on the door. Two could play this game.

"Come in"

Opening the door and seeing her leaning against her desk with her arms folded, he mimicked her stance as he leaned on the desk next to her.

"You're upset"

"No, I'm not"

"You're annoyed" he tried again

"Getting closer" she told him glancing at him sideways

Releasing a sigh, he threw his head back and closed his eyes finally understanding where this was going, "I'm hovering and it's annoying you and you want me to get over myself and stop"

Smiling as she stepped in front of him, she placed her hands on his chest and kissed him, "You're so good"

"Yeah well, having a pissed off First Lady on my hands is not a game I like to play" he told her only half-joking as he rolled his eyes and leaned in to kiss her again

"Babe, I'm fine. My ribs are all nice and healed up and my surgery scar is almost not even visible so you can tell the staff to stop treating me with kid gloves."

"I just wanted to take care of you" he told her looking down as he took a hold of her waist then looked back up at her

Shaking her head at him, she took his face in her hands, "I hate it when you make me feel like the bad guy"

"I'm not making you feel like anything, I'm just saying"

"You're guilt tripping me but I get it. You wanted to take care of me and you did, incredibly well might I add and I completely appreciate it but you know me Fitz. I like being independent and doing things on my own and its unsettling having someone there every second of the day doing those things for me. I don't feel like myself"

Leaning his forehead against hers he let out a breath, "I get that, I do. I guess I was just overcompensating"

"I know you were but you don't have to. Not anymore, not ever. I love you and I'm grateful for you and I love you even more for worrying so much about me and Sophie the way that you do but honey, stress causes wrinkles and you're way too young and far too sexy to be having wrinkles."

Getting a gleam in his eyes as he looked at her, he wrapped his arms around her waist as he went to work on her neck, "Sexy huh? Tell me all about how sexy you think I am"

With the sounds of her laughter reverberating through her office, he was infinitely happy that he had this life with his wife.

**TBC**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: **

* * *

"You don't spend any time with us and I'm sick of it!" he bellowed as he watched him walk around their bedroom getting ready for his day.

These were the types of arguments that he had no time today or any other day in the near future for. These unnecessary, exhausting, infuriating fights that led absolutely nowhere and very rarely had any sort of resolution he was actually pleased with. "What would you have me do? Quit my job so I can stay home all day with you and her so you _feel _like I care about you? Don't be ridiculous"

"She is our baby Cyrus, _our _baby! One that you agreed to having by the way and now you're completely ignoring and abandoning us!" he screamed at him frustrated. Just once he wanted his husband to be on the same page with him, not because he'd pushed, cajoled or otherwise manipulated him into getting there but because he truly understood what being on the same page would mean to him and how it had the unbridled potential of bringing them closer together.

"You James, _you're _the one who wanted this baby, **not** me but I love you so I agreed to having a child with you" he screamed back just as loudly. He'd finally articulated what James knew he had been thinking for months. He didn't want this for himself, he'd only agreed to it because deep down, in his own twisted, warped and dysfunctional sort of way he loved him and wanted to give him whatever he wanted – even if that meant the one thing that he dreaded most. "You already knew, before Ella came into our lives, that I already had a baby, one that I take care of 18 hours a day, 365 days a year. The other six hours when he's sleeping he's Liv's responsibility."

"This isn't funny Cyrus"

"Do you see me laughing?" he spat back at him as he threw his suit jacket over his shoulder. Walking to the door, he stopped with his hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. "James, I don't know _how _to be a father and you can't get mad at me for that or hold it against me especially when you know how dead set I was about this for so long."

Pursing his lips he looked at him, "That's not an acceptable excuse Cyrus. You learn by _being_ there. You make yourself available and even if you suck at it, at least I'd know that you're trying. That's all I'm asking for, is for you to try"

Turning to face him he finally gave up and ran a hand down his face "fine whatever, you want me to try, what the hell does that mean?"

"It means you start by agreeing to christen Ella and choosing godparents"

"What? Are you insane?" he asked completely befuddled. "When the hell have you ever seen me in a church? Last I heard you religious folk didn't like my type of people and now you want me to roll up in there to christen her like I may not self-implode the minute I walk through those holy doors? You are out of your mind!"

"Cyrus!" he bellowed as he picked up the pillow that had fallen on the floor and threw it across the room, "shut up and listen to me. I am _done _fighting with you about every freaking thing under the sun. You want to live in that big White House and take care of your grown man baby? That's fine, but let me just remind you of something Cyrus Rutherford Beene"

"Here we go" he mumbled under his breath as he scratched his head.

"_I _am your husband and it would behoove you to quit pissing me off!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"No I'm not threatening you. Unlike you I don't spend my days threatening people and scaring the shit out of them. I am _telling you _that we **are **going to christen Ella, we **are **going to choose godparents for her and you **are **going to agree to this with a great big smile on your face because guess what? I'm your husband and I don't like being pissed off."

Rolling his eyes at him he finally acquiesced, "fine, whatever James, if this will help get you off my case about this, then fine. I'll smile and tap dance and do whatever else you want from me"

"See there, now that wasn't so difficult was it?" he told him sarcastically as he walked to the closet to get a pair of dress pants. "Now we can talk about more adult-like matters like who her godparents are going to be"

"I swear to all that is holy and pure if you tell me you want your annoying, bitch of a sister to be her godmother I'll –"

"Stop and no, I wasn't thinking about Emily, I was actually thinking about Olivia and Fitz"

"You want the First Lady and the President of the United States to be her godparents? Are you _mental_?"

"Are you kidding me? Do you have _any_ idea how cool she'll be for the rest of her life knowing that a President and First Lady are her godparents? That's school yard gold!"

Shaking his head at him as he walked around the room and tried to remain calm through this ridiculous conversation, he didn't even know where to start, "kids don't care about that crap James. Hell, by the time she's even old enough to go to school he'll no longer be in office or _be_ the president so what'll it matter?"

"You seriously know nothing about the posh pre-schools that she _will _be going to. Those places are like baby fight clubs Cyrus" he told him in complete seriousness, "those mothers don't play around and those kids? They're on the fast track to Dr. Phil and an expensive drug habit by the time they enter pre-school they're so fucked up and entitled!"

"And that's where you want to send her?" he asked confused

"If you want to make it in this town you need to play with the big boys Cyrus"

Plopping down on the chaise lounge chair, he loosened his tie as he leaned his elbows on his knees, "fine, she can have Fitz and Olivia as godparents. I have a meeting with him today, I'll bring it up and ask him."

"No need, I'm going over to the White House today to have lunch with Olivia so I'll join you and we can ask them together"

"What?" he asked exasperated, "since when do you have lunch with the First Lady?"

Walking around him on his way out the door, he waved a hand at him dismissively, "shut up Cyrus, I have friends too."

* * *

_With the weather turning warmer and the first blissful signs of spring beginning to make their presence known, it was the perfect time of year to have lunch out on the terrace of the private residence. It had been quite a while since she'd enjoyed spending time with James whom she was quite fond of so she relished the opportunity to catch up and let their daughters have their first pseudo play date seeing as they were both still too young to understand what that actually meant or entailed. Dressed impeccably in a plum purple knee-length dress while her little girl sported a yellow sundress with matching headband, she greeted them warmly with a hug when he and Ella arrived. _

"James! It's so great to see you and look who we have here" she said gushing over the little girl, "hi Ella, it's so nice to see you again"

Giving her a kiss on the cheek, he stepped back and admired her for a moment, "Olivia I swear, if I wasn't a gay man, I'd totally marry you. You are stunning!"

"You are far too kind James and thank you but I bet my husband would have something to say about me marrying another man though I must say, you're quite the catch" she finished with a wink in his direction

"Mind telling my husband that?" he asked with a raised eyebrow

"Ah, let me guess, trouble on the home front with one Cyrus Rutherford Beene?"

Taking a seat to enjoy lunch while their little girls sat in their respective carriers, he sighed as he placed the napkin over his lap and sipped his iced tea. "You know Cyrus, never one to show emotion and deal with kids but alas here we are with a beautiful little girl and he's practically living in this place – no offense"

Shaking her head she reassured him, "None taken but believe me, I get it. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending how you choose to look at it, we're both married to incredibly ambitious men who eat, breathe and sleep all things United States and running this government and as difficult as that may be sometimes as dutiful spouses we just need to be there by their side and support them. Believe me, I understand that sometimes that's easier said than done" she finished as she clinked her glass with his.

"Tell me about it. He and I got into this huge fight this morning before he came here –"

"That explains the sour mood today then"

"Yeah, sorry if he's been a pain in the you know what today" he told her glancing at the little ones and knowing that he needed to watch his word choice around them.

"Believe me, I know how to handle Cyrus and I know when the problem isn't with me so don't you even worry about that."

Taking a deep breath, he looked out over the South Lawn and shook his head, "How do you do it Liv?"

"Do what?" she asked not fully understanding the question.

"How do you manage to have such a successful marriage when your husband is the President of the United States and arguably the most powerful man in the world and not let the insane hours, the long trips and the secrecy get to you?"

It was a question that she had never fully considered until she was just asked. To her, their lives were what was normal. She'd been involved in politics and in this fast paced, crazy lifestyle for as long as she could remember that she didn't really know how to live or function within any other reality. Truth be told, though most former president's had kept their wives somewhat in the shadows when it came to domestic and international affairs, their relationship was quite the opposite. Having been one of his most trusted confidants during her time in the White House prior to their relationship going public, it was never a question of whether or not that sort of openness between them would continue when they married and she officially became First Lady. They knew and understood each other's rhythms and from very early on realized that they were a much more powerful duo when they put their heads together instead of trying to do things separately and in their own way. She knew that he trusted her opinions implicitly and while that may have been the case, he was also an incredibly intelligent man in his own right that knew when to follow his gut and when it made more sense to listen to his wife's advice. He was by no means her lap dog bending and acquiescing to her will in all matters, but on the flip side, he also knew that in his wife, Olivia Pope – now Grant – he had the best in the business of politics, love and life.

Leaning forward in her seat she reached over and placed a hand over his as she smiled at him softly, "James, mine and Fitz's marriage is _far_ from perfect but we work at it and we're conscious about the choices and the decisions we're making and how they're going to affect us and those around us. Yes the hours and the long trips and sometimes the secrecy can get hard to deal with but I don't let myself get caught up in that otherwise I'd drive myself crazy. Rather than focusing on how much time he dedicates to this job and this country that he loves so much, I focus on the man behind the power suit. The one who instinctively knows when I'm not feeling well and carves out time in between his meetings to come check on me and lay down with me for a while until I start to feel better. The one who brings me flowers out of nowhere and leaves me notes on my desk simply because he missed me even though we've seen each other every day. _That's _who my Fitz is and that's whom I married. I didn't marry the President James, I married the love of my life and I know you married yours" she finished softly as he noticed the tears brimming his eyes.

"I do love him, I really do, I just don't know how to _make_ him want this as much as I do"

"Listen, if there's one thing I know to be true about Cyrus is that you can't force him to do anything. I know he loves you and cares about you and he loves and cares about Ella too although he may have an awful way of showing it. You just need to give it time. He didn't have the best childhood to speak of so being a good parent is a foreign concept to him."

Nodding as he squeezed her hand appreciatively and leaned back in his seat, he knew she was right, "I know that and I feel like I overcompensate for the fact that he had crappy parents by loving him to death. I swear sometimes I feel like Lenny from _Of Mice and Men _and worry that I might squeeze him too hard and kill him" he joked lightly taking a sip.

Chuckling softly at the comparison she nodded, "I get that, it's an incredibly powerful and overwhelming feeling but here's the thing you need to remember, it's _never _your job to fix the mistakes or make up for the hurt that someone else caused him. You're constantly going to be fighting ghosts if you try. The best thing that you can do is love him, support him, be understanding and meet him half-way. Take it from me, being a first time parent is no cakewalk but you learn as you go. I have faith in you both, that you'll make amazing parents" she told him with a smile.

"Fitz is one lucky son of a bitch I'll tell you that" he told her with a smile raising his glass to her.

"Mind telling _him _that?" she asked laughing throwing his earlier words back at him

"Nah believe me, he already knows"

* * *

_Checking his watch, he reached over to buzz Ms. Hanley. _"Yes Mr. President?"

"Ms. Hanley, am I still meeting Liv and James upstairs for lunch or did that get moved?"

"No sir, Mr. Novack and Mrs. Grant are upstairs in the residence having lunch as we speak. They've been expecting you"

Standing up to put on his suit jacket he nodded, "very well, I'm on my way. Let Cyrus know to come meet me upstairs if he comes looking for me"

"Sir, Mr. Beene is already upstairs with the First Lady and Mr. Novack"

Furrowing his eyebrows confused he just shrugged, "that's fine, I'll meet everyone upstairs then. Thank you"

"You're quite welcome sir"

Walking down the corridor, he clapped Tom on the back as he walked by him, "hey Tom, I think I need to go for a run one of these days. My 11-minute mile has now increased to 15 minutes, I need to handle that"

Smiling in return he nodded, "just say the word sir and our guys will run with you"

"Good man, see you later"

Getting upstairs to the residence, he could distinctly hear Olivia's laughter filtering from the terrace. In all the years they'd been together he knew that she had three very distinctive laughs: the one that came when she was genuinely and utterly happy and carefree, the somewhat reserved laugh she allowed herself to have when she wasn't truly buying something but was still planning her next move and the one she reserved for their special, quiet moments together that lit up her entire face and made her blush. The laugh he heard as he rounded the corner was her carefree laugh and he smiled wondering what had tickled her funny bone.

"Well hell I'm glad I got invited to the party because you all are having much too much fun up here" he told the group with a smile as he walked over to greet James. "Hi James, how are you?" he asked as he clapped his back when they hugged.

"Doing well Mr. President and you?"

"C'mon James, you're married to my often times pain in the ass but oh so brilliant Chief of Staff" he commented only half-jokingly, "and I'm technically not on the clock right now while I'm up here with you all for lunch so please, call me Fitz"

Nodding as he smiled at him again, he realized once more why him and Olivia worked so well together. Though they were both incredibly powerful individuals in their own right, and that wasn't just meant politically and professionally, they also managed to ground each other and bring out the best in the other person. After the conversation he'd had with Olivia earlier that afternoon, he was viewing Fitz in a whole new light and was ever more sure of their decision to name these two individuals as the godparents to their little girl.

Having become increasingly excited when he'd walked out onto the terrace, Olivia had widened her eyes in surprise and let out a little laugh when she noticed Sophia beginning to wriggle and gurgle reaching out for her dad. Sitting with her daughter in her lap and watching her husband work the group in that charming, Grant-like way of his, her heart filled with love all over again. Thinking back to her conversation with James she realized that while their marriage had had its fair share of bumps along the way, she wouldn't trade him, this marriage or their life together – mishaps, heartache, yearning and all – for anything in the world. Turning to face her, she smiled at him when he winked at her and leaned down to peck her lips softly, once, twice then three times for good measure. One of the best things about him was the fact that regardless of whom was in the room or in their presence, he never shied away from loving her and expressing his affection for her in public the way he often did in private – minus the overtly private things they did when it was clearly just the two of them.

Releasing a happy squeal that he was sure he'd never heard from her before, he looked down at his little girl and laughed as he picked her up and brought her up over his head causing her to kick her little feet and smile down at him. "Hi beautiful, I missed you too" he told her bringing her down and kissing her cheek as he carried her over to sit on the vacated seat next to Olivia. Holding his tie against his chest with a hand as he held Sophia close to him with the other, he whispered his thanks when Olivia pulled out the seat for him.

* * *

Seamlessly falling into easy conversation, they talked and laughed about the latest comical update in Cyrus learning how to change a diaper 2.0. Looking over at each other after several minutes, James raised an eyebrow at Cyrus signaling that they needed to get to the very important business at hand.

Furrowing his eyebrows and looking between them, he asked the obvious question, "What? What's that look for?"

Scratching his temple, he pursed his lips as he shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his seat, "Well sir, ma'am there's something that James and I wanted to ask you both" he started as he looked over at James who had a ridiculous smile on his face as he held Ella in his lap who was now engaged in some sort of baby conversation with Sophia.

Knowing well enough to read the vibe amongst the group, she gave them a minute to get their thoughts together as she reached over and let Sophia take a hold of her finger as she kicked her legs while sitting on Fitz's lap.

Leaning down to kiss the top of Ella's head, James got straight to the point, which was much appreciated by all parties involved. "Cyrus and I have been thinking a lot about what it means to have such important and caring people in our lives and now that we've been blessed with Ella, we want her to grow up having incredible people around her that will love her, guide her and always want what's best for her." Taking a deep breath he continued, "we couldn't think of two people who love each other more than you both do and now watching you with your own beautiful little girl, we can't think of any two people better suited to be Ella's godparents" he finished with a smile as he looked across at Olivia and Fitz.

To say that she was utterly shocked and touched would have been the understatement of the millennium. For a woman who wasn't even sure she was cut out to be a mother, here she was being asked, of all things, to be a godmother to another person's child. To vow to protect, watch over them and guide this little person for the rest of their life and should anything heaven forbid happen, take them in as one of her own. The weight of the request was not lost on her and judging from the look on Fitz's face, he was thinking the same thing.

Releasing a slow breath as he thought about the question, Cyrus shook his head mortified. He knew this was a terrible idea. Attempting to break the incredibly awkward silence that had fallen over all of them, he tried to "Cyrus" his way out of the situation.

"Look sir, this was a terrible idea and judging by the shocked look on both your faces I'm inclined to say that you agree so let's just –"

Shaking her head at him as a slow smile crept across her face, she looked over at Fitz and then her little girl, "Am I shocked? Yes, but not for the reasons that you're probably thinking. Asking us to be your baby's godparents is incredibly humbling and we're honored that you asked but I must admit I'm a bit surprised that you chose us. Don't you have a sister James? I would've thought she'd been your first choice" she asked quizzically.

Shifting Ella in his lap he nodded understanding her confusion, "I do have a sister but when I sat to think about what type of role models I'd want Ella growing up having, let's just say my sister didn't make the short list. If I may speak candidly sir?" he asked looking over at Fitz.

"Please do"

"Olivia, you and Fitz are powerhouses" he started with a small smirk. "You are incredibly independent, brilliant, generous and loving to those around you and you protect those you love fiercely and it's clear to everyone that knows you" he stated looking directly at her which caused her to blush. "We want Ella to have godparents that will love her, guide and advise her and be there for her as strong role models of what it means to be a powerhouse and be an incredible woman. We would be honored if you both would be those role models for her."

Kissing the top of Sophia's head as he looked down at her, he looked back up at them with a resolute smile, "being a positive role model in the life of a child, any child, is one of the most important roles anyone could take on so I'd be honored to be her godfather."

Looking at him with pride, she knew they were in complete agreement and making the correct choice, "Well let me just say that you didn't have to butter me up quite so much James" she told him with a smile, "but I'd be honored to be her godmother."

Standing up to hug them both, Cyrus couldn't help but smile at the scene – something which was quite uncharacteristic for him. Taking Ella in her arms, she hugged her to her chest as she spoke to her, "guess I'm going to be your god mommy. We'll have to plan dates for you and I to hang out together and go shopping and talk about boys and where you're going to go to college" she began telling her as James looked on excited.

"Could I maybe join those?" he asked as everyone laughed. With her godparents officially on board, he already knew what his first task was going to be – figuring out where in the world you ordered Japanese peonies from on such short notice.

**TBC**

**_Thank you all for the amazing feedback you continue to leave. Reviews make me happy and encourage me to update faster! *wink wink* _  
**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25:**

* * *

Stepping into her high heels as she fastened her diamond studs to her ears, she smiled at him through his reflection in the mirror. Moving her hair to the side, she instinctively titled her head to give him better access as he planted a few butterfly kisses on her neck. "You look stunning, are you sure we need to leave so soon?" he asked wrapping his arms around her.

Indulging in the feel of him for a moment, she closed her eyes briefly as she felt him working his way from her neck to her cheek. Pressing his face against hers, he looked at her through the mirror, "Livvie 15 minutes" he told her seductively.

Shaking her head at him she reached down to remove his hands from her waist as she turned to face him, "Fitz, we are Ella's godparents and we _cannot _be late. You and I aren't the most religious of people but I don't think having sex before we leave to go to a church will aid in us being in a holy state of mind."

"Really? Holy state of mind?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Stop it, you know what I mean" she admonished playfully as she adjusted his tie, "I can't stand up there with a priest looking at me, holding baby Ella if I have dirty thoughts of us having sex going through my head. That's not holy and pure Fitz"

"Honey, the priest won't know what you're thinking and secondly, dirty thoughts might make the ceremony go by faster" he finished lowly as he captured her lips with his own.

Moaning into his mouth as she gave herself completely over to the kiss, she involuntary ran her hands through his hair like it was an automatic response whenever he took control of her body. Running his hands down her sides, he began to creep his hand underneath her skirt when she reached down to stop him.

"Fitz stop it, we can't –"

Kissing down her neck and moving across to her throat, she threw her head back as she licked her lips and fisted his curls in her hands, "yes we can, fifteen minutes I promise"

"Fitz we're going to be late"

"No we're not, I'm a pro at this remember, I can be quick" he told her reaching for the straps on her dress as he lowered one of them and began kissing her bare shoulder. Coming back up to look at her face, he knew he'd worn her down. Shaking her head at him, she pointed to the bed and told him pointedly "fifteen minutes and then we go. Deal?"

Not bothering to waste time by answering her, he picked her up easily and walked over to the bed laying her down gently as he lay on top of her, "you're the coolest god mommy ever" he breathed into her neck as he began undoing his pants.

"You have 14 minutes lover boy, go"

* * *

45 minutes later as they hurried through the church doors, Olivia could feel her face flushing as she readjusted her skirt and ran a hand through her hair.

"We barely made it in time Grant" she whispered harshly to him when she looked over and caught the smirk on his face. "You better hope I don't get struck down while I'm holding her over the holy water"

"Relax, you look gorgeous as always and that post-coital glow you have really brings out your eyes"

"You're awful," she told him with a swift smack on his arm as they approached Cyrus and James.

Immediately reaching out for baby Ella, she leaned over to hug James as she did so while Cyrus and Fitz walked over to the side to chat briefly.

"How you doing? Are you okay? I know this isn't your favorite place to be especially on a Sunday"

"Well sir you know what they say, happy husband happy life"

"Don't they say that about wives?"

"Do you see me with one of those sir?"

"Touché"

"Good thing though, we won't have to endure this torture for long – they abbreviate for the godless and so far I haven't exploded in hellish flames so I'm thinking so far so good"

"You'll be fine Cyrus" he told him laying a hand on his shoulder, "just breathe, smile and distract yourself by thinking of all the ways you can rip Sally Langston apart the next time she gets on your nerves"

"You know me so well sir"

"That I do now c'mon" he told him pushing him toward the alter where the ceremony was set to begin, "let's get your daughter baptized"

The ceremony was short yet beautiful and soon after they'd retreated to a private residence for the reception. After the first few congratulatory toasts had been given and professional pictures taken with the girl of the hour and her godparents, Fitz and Olivia mingled for a couple more hours and then headed back home. Having left Sophia in the care of her nanny for the day, they wanted to spend some time with her before getting ready for a busy week that was ahead of them.

* * *

Their Sunday evening with their little girl was calm and peaceful. They had dinner out on the terrace and when the first few signs of dusk began to hit the night sky, Sophia greeted its appearance with a yawn of her own. Going through their nightly routine and tucking her in, he kissed her forehead before retreating back to his bedroom.

Walking in he saw his wife removing her heels before she unzipped her skirt to step out of it. "Today was a really nice day, wasn't it? It was nice to see Cyrus and James so happy for once"

"Yeah it was. That reception however was like something out of a bridal magazine. I wonder what they'll do to top that for her first birthday" he commented wide-eyed as he walked to the closet to hang up his suit jacket.

"Well not to sound clichéd but they _are _two gay men so I'm sure they'll come up with something fabulous"

"I'll tell you what though, I'm sure going to miss having people call me Mr. President once this ride is over" he commented wistfully as he came back out and began changing into his silk pajama bottoms.

"Enjoy it while you can because in nine months you'll go back to being just a regular person Mr. Grant" she told him with a smile as she slipped on her nightgown and walked over to kiss him lightly on the lips.

"Yeah, until I run for the next office"

Pulling back, she looked up at him with raised eyebrows as anger began to creep up inside her, "Next – I'm sorry, what?"

"My next political venture, you didn't think I'd just stay home and write memoirs all day did you?"

Crossing her arms, she scoffed as she turned away from him and began to pace around the room. He wasn't serious, he couldn't _possibly _be serious. It was one thing to have had to share him with the world for the past eight years while he held the highest office in the land but to hear that he was going to continue this insane work schedule once he stepped down was a bit too much for her to handle at the moment.

"Livvie what're you –"

"No, don't 'Livvie' me Fitzgerald" she told him turning to face him "when exactly were you going to tell me this?"

Looking at her confused he stretched his arms out to his sides trying really hard to understand where her sudden fury was coming from, "we've talked about this Olivia, about what my future plans would be once I left office"

"Yes but running for another political position was never a part of that conversation" she told him raising her voice

"What do you expect me to do Livvie, huh? Stay home, write books and go to the gym in my downtime?"

"Don't get cute with me Fitz" she told him in a warning tone

"Then please! Explain to me why you're suddenly so upset about this. One minute your smiling and happy and the next you're biting my head off over something as trivial as this"

"Trivial? You think this is trivial?" she said incredulously as she walked to sit on the bed. "You've been in office for the past eight years Fitz – eight years! And while I think you've done an incredible job as president it's been _hard_. It's hard to share you with the world and even worse when I have to suck it up and smile whenever you're called away to other countries because of the latest crisis that just erupted or when you couldn't even go to the hospital when I was discharged after having Sophia"

Shaking his head at her he was willing himself to stay calm, "that's not fair Olivia you know I felt horrible about that. Furthermore, you said you understood and you said it was okay when I called you at the hospital that day"

"What else did you expect me to say Fitz? 'No honey it's _not_ okay and I demand that you come to the hospital?'' she asked annoyed as she stood up and walked around him to put her heels in the closet.

"If you were so upset about it then why didn't you say something?" he asked raising his voice at her knowing that this was quickly escalating into a full-blown argument.

"Because I'm not Mellie" she spat angrily at him as she narrowed her eyes. "I don't manipulate you into doing anything and I certainly wasn't going to scheme to get my way especially after I'd just given birth."

"Fine, so what are we actually fighting about then because I don't understand."

Running her hands through her hair she took a deep breath before looking back over at him, "I thought we were going to finally have a normal life Fitz – whatever the hell that means when you have a husband who _used _to be President."

"And what? What exactly did you expect me to do once I stepped down?"

"I don't know Fitz but I certainly didn't think you'd run for another office so soon"

"Olivia, being a public servant is in my blood and I can't just turn away from that and not be civically engaged once I leave office"

Walking to stand in front of him she raised her arms to her sides frustrated, "what office would you even run for huh? Because I tell you what, any other office at that point would be a serious downgrade after you've already been president"

Biting his lip as he looked at her he knew that he needed to keep his mouth shut before he said something he'd later regret. Stepping back from her, he walked over to the bed and picked up his pillow. "Where are you going?" she asked confused as she watched his movements.

"I'm going to go sleep in one of the guest rooms because you're clearly upset, it's late and this conversation isn't headed anywhere that's good at this late hour" he commented as he brushed past her.

"So you're just walking away?"

Stopping at the door he turned towards her with a look she wasn't used to seeing on him since before his divorce from Mellie. It was a look of resentment mixed with sadness and it broke her heart a little to see that she'd now been the cause of it.

"I'm not walking away Olivia, I'm stepping away from this conversation because I'm tired and don't have the energy right now to argue with you."

"Whatever happened to never going to bed angry?" she asked softly as she took a tentative step towards him.

Looking down for a moment, he simply shook his head, "I'm not angry Olivia, I'm just tired. We'll talk tomorrow, sleep well."

Watching the door close behind his retreating form, she walked over to the bed and slumped down on it wondering how they were going to get over this very real – and quickly approaching – hurdle.

**TBC**

* * *

_A/N: _This chapter truly brought it back full circle, at least in my mind, about what it truly means to have two incredibly powerful, ambitious and driven people in a marriage. Will Olivia come around to seeing Fitz's POV? Will Fitz seek to understand where his wife is coming from? Excited to hear your thoughts on the Grant's future post-presidency and where Olivia and Fitz go from here. Reviews = immense happiness!


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:**

* * *

_The last few days had felt like she'd been living in the depths of hell. Ever since their late night argument following Ella's christening, they'd barely spoken more than a few words to each other and it was beginning to wear on her. Not wanting to give wind of any discord between them to the White House staff or Cyrus in particular, they'd been cordial in front of others but little else. Though he'd gone back to sleeping in their bed the night following the eruption, he'd been quiet and distant. No 'good morning' or 'goodnight' kisses had been exchanged and when they slept they'd remained on their respective sides of the bed, not daring to reach out for the other person. With their stalemate quickly approaching day four, she was reaching her breaking point but in true Olivia Pope fashion she refused to crack first. The idea of him returning to political life so soon after stepping down from office was something that was truly concerning to her if for no more important reason than she wanted her husband to be able to spend more dedicated time with her, their daughter and any other potential additions to their family they could agree on – once this latest debacle was over. _

_Calling Harrison after day three, they'd met for coffee and a long overdue 'brother-sister' chat. Hugging her as soon as he saw her, he knew she was in rare form and this side of Olivia Pope was as rare as a solar eclipse. Though she hid it quite well to those who didn't know her as well as her closest people did, he'd immediately zeroed in on the fact that although still stunning, she had bags under her eyes and looked decidedly thinner. Over several espressos they'd discussed everything from how the argument got started to the real reasons why Olivia was so fearful of him running for office again. _

"…Let me be clear, I'm not saying that I don't want himto _ever _run for another office again if that's what he really wants to do and what'll make him happy, I'm just saying that I'd like for him to take a decent break after he steps down so Sophia and I can spend some quality time with him."

Nodding understanding her position, he asked the question he knew she'd probably hate hearing but after all, he had promised to play devil's advocate, "I get that Liv but don't you think that's a bit selfish? I mean the man was born and bred for this type of stuff. That doesn't just go away after he stops being president. If anything, I would think it'd be even harder for him to stay _away _given the immense power he's going to be giving up."

"It's not about the power for him though, I know it's not" she clarified quickly. "And plus, what freaking office would he even run for? He's already been the president for god's sake, what else is there?"

Raising a hand he agreed, "I'm not saying it's about the power but what you're essentially asking him to do is switch gears at the drop of a hat when he's been doing this for so long now"

"And what am I supposed to do, huh?" she asked lowering her voice so as not to attract attention to their conversation, "I spent six years yearning to be free to be with him and the last two waiting for the moment when we could just be normal, away from the spotlight and constant scrutiny."

"Liv –"

"I get it Harrison, I really do, believe me" she started as she leaned back against the booth they occupied and closed her eyes briefly, "I get that with our reputations and career choices come a price, that we can't just act normal and expect no one to ever recognize us or draw attention to the fact that we're somewhere but I want more for our little girl and any other children we may have within the next few years. She didn't ask for this" she said gesturing around her, "she didn't ask to have a six-man security detail assigned to her or to have to sacrifice time with her daddy because some crisis or other erupted somewhere in the world and he needed to go fix _that_ instead of tucking her in bed at night."

Letting out a breath he looked at her a bit surprised, "Six man security detail? Really?"

Shaking her head she recognized how ridiculous it all was, "don't ask, he's insane about her security and keeping her safe" she finished with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Furrowing his eyebrows as he shifted in his seat, he asked her point blank what had been marinating in his head for the past five minutes as she spoke, "Liv, let me ask you. Do you resent him for being President?" Seeing the somewhat shocked look on her face, he quickly clarified his question, "I only ask because what I'm hearing from you sounds a lot like resentment for the fact that he's unable to dedicate as much time to you and Sophia as you would like and now that you're clearly seeing the 'out' as soon as his term is up, you're desperately trying to grasp it." Reaching across the table he placed a hand over hers "I'm on your side, always, you know that, but I had to ask."

Taking a deep breath, she took a moment to gather her thoughts before she finally answered his question, "I don't resent him Harrison or the fact that he's president. Hell, I worked my ass off to get him there the first time so of course not, I'm incredibly proud of him and the work his administration's done over the past 7 ½ years but I'm just tired" she said placing her head in her hands before looking up at him. "It's exhausting to constantly worry so much about him and what could potentially happen to him when he goes overseas or even for a public appearance. I know that he has an incredible security detail that would literally lay down their lives for him but that doesn't change the fact that I worry so much about him _all _the time even though I try to remain stoic and not let on."

Biting her lip as tears began to well in her eyes, she looked over at him with a small smile, "I know that I'm being selfish and the biggest hypocrite in the world because he'd never stop me from returning to OPA once his term was done. Hell, he'd probably encourage it because he knows how much I love you all and miss the work that we do" she said laughing in spit of herself.

"So given that, how do you find a comfortable middle ground?"

Shrugging her shoulders she really didn't have an answer at the moment, "I don't know, guess that's why I called you"

"Well I'm glad you did and I'm here for you whenever you need me but I think you both just need to sit and talk through this issue objectively because you're both coming at it from a place of wanting to be happy. What would make you happy is getting your husband back yet what fulfills him and gives him purpose is serving others."

Taking a sip of her espresso she nodded, "so how do we both essentially get what we want without widening this obnoxious gap that's been created between us?"

"You employ the cardinal rule of marriage – you compromise" he told her with his trademark wink.

* * *

Returning to the White House later that evening, she felt a bit lighter after having spoken with Harrison. Though their argument was far from over, she had at least gained some perspective on the entire situation and knew what needed to be done. Walking up the stairs towards their bedroom, she chuckled to herself as she remembered the conversation she'd had with James just a couple weeks earlier. Perfect marriage? If he could only see them now.

Walking down the hallway, she slowed when she noticed light emanating from the residential living room. Peaking her head inside, she sighed when she saw Fitz sitting staring blankly at the television. Taking a few tentative steps into the room, he looked up at her when she entered his peripheral.

"Hi"

"Hi"

Not knowing what else to say, she walked over and took a hold of his hands as she pulled him up to stand.

"Liv what're –"

"Shh, just hold me" she began as her lip quivered slightly. "Please?"

Sensing the sadness and longing in her voice, he didn't say a word as he enveloped her in his arms. For as many times as she'd been in his embrace, this time she felt incredibly small. She missed his touch, his smell and his comfort but most of all she missed their intimacy. She'd grown so accustomed to it that when it was taken away from her, for even the briefest of moments, she couldn't really figure out what to do with herself. As tears formed in her eyes, she held on to him just a bit tighter as she breathed him in. Holding her in his arms, he suddenly forgot what their argument had been about and found it somewhat foolish that they'd let it go on for this long.

Pulling back from her he wiped the lone tear that fell with the pad of his thumb as he leaned in to kiss her forehead, "Don't cry"

"I'm sorry" she told him through choked sobs as she placed her hands on his chest.

"I'm sorry too. Can we talk now?"

Nodding as she took his hand and led him over to sit on the couch, she crossed her legs and turned to face him.

"This fight has gone on for far too long and we need to hash it out before it goes any further"

Putting up a hand to stop her, he shook his head, "actually, before we start talking about all that, I wanted to apologize." Seeing her confused expression he quickly continued, "I was upset and more than a little frustrated about our argument but that was no excuse for me walking out and leaving you that night. It was stupid and selfish and I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted but don't do it again. You understand me? No matter how upset or frustrated we get with each other, our first reaction can't be to walk away. We're better than that. _You're _better than that" she told him with her trademark no nonsense stare as she watched him stand up and then followed suit.

"I agree, but to be fair we're also better than blindsiding one another and expecting the other person to not have some sort of reaction to it. We don't have that type of passive-aggressive relationship Olivia and we're sure as hell not going to start now."

"I know we don't but we need to talk about this Fitz. I'm obviously concerned and I know you feel some sort of way about this situation so let's just handle the issue at hand and quit beating around the bush."

"Fine, so what do you propose?" he asked even toned knowing full well that the longer they remained on steady ground, the better chance they had of reaching an amicable resolution. This much he'd learned from his previous marriage.

"I propose we lay it all out on the table. We figure out a plan and we handle it"

Narrowing his eyes, he shook his head letting her words sink in as he walked around her, "this isn't a crisis Livvie. We're not something for you to handle. _We_, you and I, are husband and wife. There isn't anything that's broken and there isn't some scandal that we need to fix or cover. Please, do us both a favor and stop treating this like that's what we're dealing with."

Getting a bit taken aback by his comment and sudden change in demeanor, she licked her lips as she breathed in for a beat. She'd known Fitz for far too long to ever underestimate him but habits were hard to break and she recognized that even though she was now his wife, her default counterattack was always to revert to her fixer role and that didn't always work in a marriage.

"Fitz, we haven't spoken more than a few words to each other in the past four days, I'd call that a crisis, at least as far as private, marital ones go" she said adamantly turning to face him.

"It became a crisis when **you **decided to turn it into one. If this was something that had been on your mind for a while, why not come to me with it sooner? You dropping it like a bomb on me did nothing to help your case."

"Dropping it like a bomb on _you_? And what? You think **your **declaration came as a welcome surprise for me?" she asked beginning to become angry. "Let's get one thing clear, as your _wife_, I shouldn't have to make a case for something that affects the both of us _and _our children." Releasing a slow breath as she tried to calm her nerves, she looked at him with a stern expression, "And I don't appreciate the condescension either so cut it out and let's just get to it."

"What the hell are we doing Liv huh?" he asked frustrated running a hand through his hair. "When the hell did we become these people that go tit for tat with each other?"

"Fitz, why don't you tell me the real reason you're pissed off? How about we start there" she told him pursing her lips.

Tired of this game he turned to face her, "I'm upset because you know damn well who I am" he said raising his voice slightly. "You know how deep my love for this country runs and the thought that I would somehow not be able to affect change in such a powerful way once I stepped down it's just, I – "

"You can't wrap your head around it" she softly finished for him as she looked down. In that moment as her anger began to slowly subside noticing the turmoil in his stormy blue eyes, she finally began to understand that his desire to hold a political office wasn't a choice against her or their family; it was a choice to fulfill a destiny of public service that he held dear.

"Right" he stated softly as he looked at her and then down at her wedding rings. Reaching out to touch them gently, thoughts of his proposal to her flooded his mind. "You know, when I asked you to be my wife I promised to love you, support you and do whatever was necessary to make sure you and our kids were happy but I couldn't help but feel that you weren't giving me the same latitude a few days ago. You were asking me to turn my back on the one thing that makes me feel happiest and most fulfilled outside of our family and for the life of me I just can't understand that."

Sighing as she looked up and closed her eyes for a moment, she knew this moment was coming and was glad that she'd mentally prepared for it. He was absolutely right and she knew that they both knew it. "I know that came across as unfair and for that I'm sorry." Running a hand through her locks, she tried to articulate her frenzied train of thought.

"I know you're upset by what I said but I'd be lying if I said I didn't mean it." Taking his hand in hers, she looked into his eyes and laid everything out on the line. "Fitz, we have a beautiful baby girl who'll be four months old pretty soon. By the time you officially leave office she'll be turning one. I want her to enjoy spending time with her daddy the way Jerry and Karen were able to do. By the time you had Teddy you were already a few years into your term as president and I saw how difficult that was for you not being able to spend as much time with him as you would've wanted."

Looking down at their joined hands he allowed her to continue, "I want more for Sophia and whatever other children you and I end up having within the next couple years. Realistically speaking, you've already held pretty much every important political position there could be, the biggest one of them being the one you're currently holding. Could you run for governor again or maybe even mayor? Sure you could, but a few years from now, I don't want to look back at our lives and have any sort of regrets about decisions that we made, _especially_ if they affect our kids."

"I hear that Olivia, I do and maybe you're right, maybe running for another political office isn't the right move but as much hesitation as you may have about it, I won't step away from public life. Not that easily. It's not in me to do that"

"That's fine and maybe you don't need to but we **have** to consider all possibilities that will allow you to remain in public life without that coming at the expense of time you spend with me, your kids or the rest of your family." Releasing a breath, she knew better than to push him when he had his mind dead set on something. "Can we at least discuss options for what you _could _do if it's not in public office? Because let's be honest, what other position is there?"

Per her usual, she was absolutely right and he knew it. What other political office _could _he possibly hold after the presidency? He hadn't completely thought through all of his possibilities before he said what he did and now here he stood with the best mirror he knew of – his wife – showing him once more that while there were many things he could do on his own, there were some that were better accomplished together.

Immediately going into fixer mode once more, she straightened up and removed her hand from his as she began to pace. "We need to make a plan and think strategically and logically about what roles you and I will take on come next January because time is of the essence and the last thing we need is to rush into something without thinking through it and weighing all options" she finished placing her hands on her hips as she turned towards him.

"When have we ever made a half-assed decision Livvie?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know but hey, tensions are running high between us at the moment so you can never be too careful." Watching him intrigued as he walked over to the desk and pulled out a legal notepad and a pen, she furrowed her eyebrows wondering what he was doing.

"You want to compromise about our future?" he asked holding up the pad. "Let's compromise."

* * *

Squaring her shoulders, she followed him back to the couch and for the next two hours they created a plan. A plan that would allow them each to have what they wanted most without sacrificing the others' happiness and ambitions in the process. A plan that took into account Sophia's future and that of their other three children but also made allowances for any future children that they might have. In crafting this plan, which Fitz dubbed "Zenith" as an ode to it being the sum of everything they both ever wanted, they realized that reaching a compromise wasn't a matter of giving up something they each wanted but rather, meeting each other halfway and knowing that deep down they both wanted the same things.

Letting out a breath a while later, he looked down at the notepad that now contained the outline for the Grants' future over the next few years. It was ambitious, just like the individuals that had crafted it, but more than anything it felt right. For the first time since before becoming president he was looking forward to what was ahead. The anticipation was exciting but the many unknowns were what he found most exhilarating.

Tucking her leg underneath her as Fitz tapped the pen to his lips, he nodded with satisfaction. "I must say, we are quite the team Mrs. Grant"

Resting her chin on his shoulder as she looked down at their plan which would be implemented in three very strategic phases within the coming months, she nodded "we were always a great team Fitz, we just momentarily lost sight of that a few days ago"

"So is this settled then?" she asked hopefully as she bit her lip.

"It is," he said looking down over their notes as he reiterated their master plan. "Once Sophia turns five months old you'll once again take over the reigns of the OPG Center overseeing its initiatives and managing its daily operation. That'll mean you start easing back into a more hectic work schedule again within the next month so you're ready to take it over completely and Sophia has an opportunity to get used to the change in her own schedule with you."

"Plans for the Grant Foundation that you and I co-created and sponsored have already been underway for the past few months so when you officially step down it'll become your primary venture. You'll oversee it, manage its daily operations and initiatives – much like I'll do with the OPG Center – and our organizations will collaborate on key policies when appropriate."

"On top of OPG you'll also go back to working at OPA part-time so long as our initial rule still stands. No case can pose a conflict of interest for either of us otherwise you don't get involved. Harrison will continue running point on most cases so you can still spend time with Sophie."

"And in between the Grant Foundation and the numerous speaking engagements you'll be sure to have once you step down, you'll write and publish your memoirs, begin plans for your presidential library – which should take about one to two years to complete if not a bit more - and campaign for candidates that you deem worthy of having your backing during primaries and national elections but you will _not _run for another office."

Shaking his head as he smiled at her he kissed the corner of her mouth, "I will _not _run for another office."

Squinting her eyes at him she needed to make sure that he was completely comfortable with that decision and wasn't merely agreeing because of the fight they'd been having. "Are you 100% okay with that?"

"Okay with what?"

"With not running for office again? I don't want to be having this same fight two years down the line and I certainly don't want you resenting me for it either."

"Yes I'm sure and no, we won't. You were right. My kids are getting older and for the majority of their lives I've been in public office with all of the demands, pressures and crazy schedules that come with it so its long overdue that I spend more time with them, enjoying them. Can you imagine their therapy bills if I don't?" he finished wide eyed as she smirked.

Taking the notepad from his hands and throwing it on the floor, she easily straddled his lap and held his face in her hands, "Call me selfish or whatever else you want but I'm counting down the days until I get to have you all to myself. No meetings, no phone calls, no trips, no Cyrus" she finished in a low tone as she searched his eyes for any sort of reservation. Not finding any, she sighed when she felt him lay his hands on top of her thighs.

"Hey" he said getting her attention.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I was such a condescending ass earlier. You didn't deserve that"

"I know I didn't but I get it, you were upset and with good reason. I did blindside you with my reaction and after so many years of knowing you, I should've known better than to go about it that way."

Nodding slowly he looked her up and down, "so are we officially done with World War III? Can we get back to our normal, non-dramatic marriage because I tell you what –"

"What?" she asked cutting him off gently.

"Fighting with you is exhausting" he said rolling his eyes as she smirked

"Yeah well, fighting with you is no picnic either"

"I know" he told her leaning in to kiss her cheek as she held his face to hers.

Pulling back from him she waited a beat until he opened his eyes. With his hands resting on her thighs he just smiled at her.

"What?"

"I need you to kiss me for real because it's been four days and –"

Not letting her finish, he swallowed her words as his lips descended over hers. These last four days had been unbearable. The fact that they had been sleeping in the same bed without so much as touching each other was something that he never wanted to do again. It was far too reminiscent of his first marriage with Mellie and not a feeling he enjoyed nor one he ever wanted to experience – ever again. Much like her, he'd missed their intimacy, the easy banter that he looked forward to when his days felt far too stressful but most of all he missed her, his Olivia.

With her fingers getting lost in his hair, he skimmed his hands down her body until he reached the hem of her shirt and lifted it up over her head. Momentarily breaking contact with her, he looked at her in awe as the moonlight shone through the window and cast an almost angelic glow over her face. Reaching behind her back, she unclasped her bra and slowly let the straps fall down her arms as Fitz kept his eyes on her while he unbuttoned her pants. Leaning down to kiss him, she traced his top and then his bottom lip with her tongue until he couldn't take it anymore and grabbed the back of her neck crashing his lips down on hers.

Moaning as their tongues dueled in a passionate kiss that they hadn't shared in far too many days, she reached between them and undid his belt and pants as he lifted both of them up sliding them down his legs. Wrapping his arms around her, he lay her down on the couch as he went to work on removing her pants as she shimmied out of them. With a gleam in her eyes as she licked her lips, she ran her hands down his chest. Resting his weight on his elbows as he hovered above her, he rubbed his nose against hers, "now that we've mapped out our professional futures, can we get working on our personal one?"

With a raised eyebrow and a smile she asked, "Mmm baby number 2?"

"Baby number two" he finished in a seductive whisper as he swallowed her giggle and proceeded to make love to his wife.

The art of compromise, what a beautiful thing…

**TBC**

_A/N: I've realized that writing Fitz / Olivia arguments is just as fun as writing squabbles between Cyrus and James. Hmm, the possibilities :) Thanks for reading! _


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